Foxlight's 100 One-Shot Book
by Foxlight the Dragon Trainer
Summary: My entry to Prin Pardus's 100 One-Shot Challenge. (#17) How do you tell someone you're madly in love with her when you don't even know if she remotely likes you?
1. Injured

I storm out of camp, furious. _Being an apprentice is horrible!_

The words of my mentor, Creamwhisker, ring in my ears, and I shake my head. _Come on, Dustypaw! Did you really think you don't have to listen to me? I'm your mentor, for StarClan's sake!_ I growl as I picture him yelling at me in front of the whole Clan.

In front of Rosepaw, my crush.

_I hate you, Creamwhisker!_

So now, as I dash through the forest, deep in ThunderClan's territory, all I can think of is becoming a warrior.

I finally come to a stop. It takes me a second to realize where I am: near the Twoleg path. Leaves crackle behind me, and I freeze. I slowly turn around, and a disgusting scent hits my nose.

_Dog!_

A _huge_ black dog stands in front of me, its tongue hanging out in excitement. It barks loudly, and I jump.

Within a second, I'm running for my life.

Bounding over a stump, dashing past trees, dodging branches… I've never run this fast before.

But I'm not fast enough.

The dog's teeth meet in my scruff, and my paws leave the ground. I struggle, hissing and spitting. Suddenly, it yelps in pain, and drops me, as though something invisible bit it.

I hit the ground, and pain shoots through one of my legs. But I ignore it. I know that if I stop, it will be the last thing I ever do.

So I keep on running.

The pain in my leg is increasing; I can't keep up this pace much longer. If I slow down, the dog will get me, and it will be all over.

I'm getting tired, too, but the dog seems to have limitless energy.

Finally, I can't do it anymore.

I collapse mid-step, and my injured leg crumples under me. The scent of blood is in the air, and I know I have no chance of survival.

The last thing I hear is the sound of pawsteps, and some yowling, strangely muffled. An image of Rosepaw fills my mind. Then the huge animal catches up to me, and the world goes black.

* * *

I watch as Dustypaw runs out of camp, clearly angry. I start after him, but quickly change my mind. I know what he's like. _I have to give him time to cool down._

I turn my attention back to the ThunderClan camp. Creamwhisker stands in the center, glowering. He is Dustypaw's mentor. As I watch, the creamy white tom sits down, still furious at his apprentice.

Just a few minutes ago, Dustypaw had refused to clean the elder's bedding, and a loud verbal fight ensued between apprentice and mentor. It had ended with Dustypaw stalking out of the camp.

I glance at my mentor, Petalblossom. She nods, knowing what I'm thinking, and I bound out of camp.

Once I'm in the forest, I perk up my ears. Besides the hum of activity from the camp and the bird songs, all is quiet. I catch Dustypaw's scent, and follow it. His trail leads towards the small Twoleg path, heading towards the abandoned Twoleg den. I break into a run, curious.

Suddenly, I hear a bark. A dog's bark. I run even faster, and see Dustypaw in front of me. A look of pure terror is on his face.

A huge dog chases after him, and I almost black out in fear. Not fear for me, but Dustypaw- my secret crush.

He doesn't notice me, and neither does the dog. I hide behind a tree as they come near.

My eyes widen with horror as the dog grabs Dustypaw in its long, sharp teeth.

Without thinking, I dart out towards the fight. I rake my claws across the dog's back, and it yelps, dropping Dustypaw. He lands awkwardly on his paws, and I see him wince, but he keeps running.

I am still unnoticed as I run as fast as possible back to the camp. "Help!" I cry. "A dog! Near the Twoleg path! Dustypaw! Help!" My words come out in jumbled fragments, but the warriors understand.

Immediately, Shellstar is in the middle of camp, sending out his best warriors. My mind is in such a rush that I don't notice which ones he picks as I lead them at high speed towards the Twoleg path, where the sounds of the fight are echoing through the forest.

I arrive just in time to see Dustypaw collapse to the ground, surrounded by a pool of blood, as the dog closes its teeth on his leg.

* * *

Everything is black. My head feels fuzzy. I stir a bit. Whatever I am lying on is soft and comfy, and I don't want to ever leave it.

Suddenly, I remember what happened. _The dog!_ I feel terrified. _Am I in StarClan?_

But every part of me is sore, and my leg feels like it's on fire; there's no pain in StarClan.

_I'm alive!_

* * *

I feel sick with horror as Dustypaw's mauled body is lifted off of the ground and onto Shellstar's back. A silence hangs around every cat as he is carried back to camp.

The dog had been driven away; it didn't take much with all of the warriors helping. A few cats stayed behind to make sure it didn't come back, and to keep any other animal away; they were attracted by blood, and Dustypaw's was everywhere.

I gulp, hardly daring to look at Dustypaw. His limbs hang limply, and his eyes are closed, but his chest is faintly moving as he breathes: a weak symbol of life.

A ginger and white she-cat darts out to meet us as the patrol enters the camp. She lets out a wail as she sees Dustypaw. I dimly remember that the she-cat, Brightflower, is Dustypaw's mother.

Brokenfoot, our medicine cat, hurries towards Dustypaw. He grasps the apprentice's scruff gently in his teeth and carries him to the medicine den.

My head is spinning, and I sit down. _He can't die! He can't die! Please, StarClan, don't let him die!_

* * *

When I wake up again, I feel a bit better. My eyes flutter open, and I have to blink a few times before everything comes into focus. _I must be in the medicine den._

I try to move. My leg still hurts a lot, but the rest of me is fine, except for a few scratches. I groan.

A dark brown tabby tom hurries towards me, looking relieved. "You're awake. Good." He pushes a ball of cobwebs forward and begins to wrap them around my leg. "How do you feel?"

"My leg hurts," I manage to meow. My words sound blurred. "A lot."

Brokenfoot sighs. "You're lucky to be alive." He finishes with the cobwebs and sits back. I try to get up, but the medicine cat places a paw gently on my chest. "No, don't try to stand. You're not strong enough."

Panic shoots through me. _How injured am I?_

* * *

I can't sleep. I'm tossing and turning. All of the other apprentices are asleep.

I keep glancing over at the nest near the center, usually filled by Dustypaw. The whole den feels… colder, without him.

So I wait. The hours go by, and I am still restless.

Sometime in the early morning, when the sun is about to rise, I see the faint outline of a cat standing at the entrance to the den.

"Good morning, Rosepaw," Brokenfoot whispers. "I had a feeling that you were awake." He steps inside. "Come here, please. I have to show you something."

As I step outside silently, I am filled with dread. _He's dead. I just know it. Brokenfoot wants me to know._

So it is with a heavy heart that I follow the tom into the medicine den. I can see she shape of Dustypaw, curled in a nest. My heart starts pounding.

"He's dead, isn't he," I whisper. It was not a question.

The medicine den is dark, so I can't make out Brokenfoot's expression, but I hear his sigh. "No, Rosepaw," he replies, after a pause. "He's not dead."

I look up at the medicine cat, filled with a new hope. _He's going to survive?_

But then Brokenfoot continues quietly, "But I fear he'll be dead soon."

I feel like wailing in despair. I pad forward and push my nose into Dustypaw's brown tabby fur. He is warm, and I can feel his heartbeat- very faintly. _Come on, Dustypaw,_ I plead silently. _You have to live._ I think of all of the fun times I've had with him- being denmates in the nursery, becoming an apprentice only a moon after him and getting to share a den with him again, hunting, exploring…

"If he lives, he'll be scarred, and possibly unable to use his injured leg." The medicine cat's voice breaks into my thoughts.

I nod. "I'd rather have a horribly scarred, limping, ugly Dustypaw than a dead one."

* * *

A dog stands in front of me. I charge at it and claw at its sides, but it turns into Rosepaw and collapses, blood pouring from tens of wounds. _No!_ I scream, running to her side.

Then she becomes Creamwhisker, who yells, _Go work! Change the elder's bedding!_

I yowl in fright, but the thing changes shape again, becoming Brokenfoot, who bends over me. _Are you okay? Let me do this. Is that better? Do you want anything?_

I swat at him, but my paws goes right through him as he dissolves.

I toss and turn, kicking up the moss bedding in the medicine den as the dream creature changes shape yet again. This time, it was my mother, Brightflower.

As I thrash around, still asleep, Brokenfoot sits beside me, sorting herbs. He keeps glancing at me, wanting to do something but unable to.

He sighs. _I'll do my best, Rosepaw. I'll do my best._

* * *

I'm lying down in the middle of the camp. I hadn't been able to sleep after talking to Brokenfoot, so I stayed out, watching the sunrise and praying to StarClan that Dustypaw would survive.

As the day progressed, the cats of ThunderClan woke up and padded out of their dens, yawning and stretching. Many were worried, I could tell, and a few gathered next to me, watching the medicine den anxiously.

There had been the sound of pawsteps, and claws scraping against the ground. I had also heard Dustypaw's yowls- unintelligible, loud, worrying screeches.

So when Brokenfoot pads out of the medicine den, the whole camp fell silent.

"I have news," he mews. Every cat's eyes were on him.

He turns to me. "I'm sorry," he whispers sadly.

I freeze. _No! Oh, StarClan, no!_

And then he continues, louder, with the hint of a smile, "I'm sorry, because now you're going to have to live with him for the rest of your life."

He steps aside, and a brown tabby tom, one ear nicked and a few scars crossing his pelt, limps forward, grinning.

"Dustypaw!"


	2. Sinking

Mothdapple crouches, slowly bringing herself forward. Her small amber eyes are fixed on a small creature in front of her- a plump mouse. She pounces, landing squarely on it and breaking its neck. She picks up the prey and turns, heading back to the SwiftClan camp.

"What are you do- no, stop! Someone, help me!"

An anguished yowl comes from somewhere, and Mothdapple freezes, her gray-tipped ears pricked. The voice of a she-cat... she recognized that voice. Then it hit her. _Dapplefur!_

She races towards the sound of her friend's call for help, leaving the mouse far behind. She bursts out into a clearing in the forest and stops, panting, to try to find Dapplefur. _There!_ A rustling of leaves, and a muffled voice.

Mothdapple dodges behind an oak tree just in time to hear Dapplefur's shriek again. "Stop! Leave me alone!" It sounded like another cat was with her, but Mothdapple can't hear who it is. It is only common sense that keeps her from running to her best friend. She cautiously peeked around the edge of the tree, and she sees tufts of Dapplefur's tortoiseshell fur on the ground. The scent of blood is in the air.

Mothdapple dashes into the small clearing where Dapplefur and the other cat are. She gasps.

Dapplefur is lying on the ground in a small pool of bright scarlet blood. The other cat is nowhere to be seen.

Mothdapple runs up and buries her nose in her best friend's fur, but pulls back abruptly, _She's alive!_

"Dapplefur?" she whispers.

The tortoiseshell she-cat's eyes flutter open. "Moth- Mothdapple?" she murmurs. Her tail tip twitches, and her green eyes fix on Mothdapple. "Goodbye."

"No- no, you're going to be okay, really," Mothdapple whispers.

Dapplefur doesn't respond. She sighs softly, and then she is still.

Grief crashing over her, Mothdapple buries her nose into her friend's fur again, but this time there is no telltale sign of life, no beating heart.

She glares around for the other cat. She wants to make that cat pay for what they had done. She wants to kill them.

A familiar scent hangs in the air, but Mothdapple is too furious and miserable to figure out who it is. She bends down and gently licks the tortoiseshell fur. She grasps Dapplefur's scruff in her teeth and begins half dragging, half carrying her back to camp.

"Mothdapple!" a voice cries. Mothdapple turns around to see her brother, Scarclaw, looking at her with an expression of confusion and disbelief on his face. "What- what happened?"

"I- I don't know," she whispers. "I was out hunting and I heard her… I found her, and she died by my side."

Scarclaw looks worried. "Come with me. Leave Dapplefur here." He heads forward, his tail dragging on the ground. Mothdapple glances at Dapplefur's motionless body, and then walks after him.

"How could this have happened?" she mews sadly.

Scarclaw doesn't reply. He continues walking, his head low.

They don't stop until they are at the edge of the river that runs through SwiftClan territory. Scarclaw sits down. He sighs.

Mothdapple sits cautiously near him. "I… I can't believe that Dapplefur is really dead," she whispers.

"What did you see? Could you tell what happened?" Scarclaw urges. "Could you tell who the other cat was? The one who killed her?"

"The scent was familiar, but- hey, wait! How did you know there was another cat?" Mothdapple demands.

"I- I-" Scarclaw stutters, and then he says smoothly, "I assumed she was killed by another cat, because of her wounds."

Mothdapple stares at her brother in horror as understanding dawns on her. "You killed Dapplefur," she whispers numbly. "How could you?"

Scarclaw freezes for a second, and then he launches himself at Mothdapple, knocking her off of her paws. His outstretched claws reach for her throat, but she blocks him as she tries desperately to scramble to her paws. He lunges at her again, and his claws scrape her side.

Mothdapple dodges and jumps back, and her paws slip on the wet rocks at the river bank. She yowls in fright as her hind legs fall into the water. She grasps the riverbank with her front paws.

"Scarclaw! Please, please help me," she begs. "I'll do anything! Just help me up!"

Her brother looks down coldly on her. "Why should I? You've never done anything to help me."

"I'm your sister! Please, help!" Mothdapple's claws are beginning to slip on the rocky bank, and the swift current threatens to carry her away.

"I don't care," he snarls. "You know… you know that I killed her."

"Why?" she whimpers. "Why did you do it?"

He sighs, his eyes softening for a second. "I loved her," he whispers. "But she didn't love me back. What did I ever do wrong?" His voice hardens as he continues, "And now you know. You can't live."

Mothdapple gasps. "You're crazy!" she cries, her paws beginning to slip. "Just help me up!"

"I can't. You know." Scarclaw grabs Mothdapple's paws, his claws digging into her skin. He shoves hard, and she completely loses her grip on the rocks and plummets into the river.

Bubbles explode around her. Water surrounds her, pushing her, trying to keep her from surviving. Her head breaks the surface and she gasps in air, but she goes under again almost immediately.

Mothdapple kicks her legs frantically. She can't tell which is up and which is down. Her head goes above the surface again, but she is thrown under before she can take a breath.

The water pushes her down, down, down. She paddles, but she is growing weaker. The surface is far above her head, and a strange coldness seeps into her limbs as she sinks further and further.

She doesn't even struggle as she is carried along the current. Deep in her brain, she knows it's over, that she's going to die.

Her eyes close and she goes limp, sending up a flurry of bubbles from her mouth as she lets the current carry her away into oblivion.

* * *

"What do you smell, Honeypaw?" asks Duskblossom.

The golden apprentice lifts her nose. "You, a faint scent of raccoon, and…" She breaks off, her green eyes widening. She dashes down towards the riverbank and stops dead. "Oh, no," she whispers.

The sodden body of her mother, Mothdapple, is limp on the bank of the river. Her eyes are closed.

She's dead.

* * *

Scarclaw pounds through the forest, away from the scene that just spread out before him. He had watched mentor and apprentice discover the dead body, seen Honeypaw crouch beside her mother, noticed Duskblossom's expression of misery.

_What will they think?_ he wonders. _They probably think it was an accident. They can't know what I did!_

He suddenly remembers Dapplefur. _What if someone found her body? I was going to get rid of it, but my horrible sister got in the way._

Scarclaw heads cautiously towards the place where Mothdapple had left the body. _Good._ Dapplefur's motionless shape is still there. He grabs her scruff, but then pauses. _Where should I put her?_ Not the river, Mothdapple's body had washed up on the bank. _What about the Twoleg dens?_ Yes, that would work. He could bring her there, and the Twolegs would probably take the body.

Scarclaw drags the tortoiseshell towards the area near the edge of SwiftClan's territory, where the border was lined with large stone Twoleg dens. He drops her, letting her head hit the ground, and bounds away.

He races through the forest, an evil grin spreading across his face. _I did it! I'm finally rid of Dapplefur, and Mothdapple as well!_ As he thought of his sister, a small pang of regret shot across him. _Maybe I didn't need to kill her…_

Scarclaw remembers all the times he played with her as a kit, racing and play-fighting, goofing off and exploring the camp… _No! She knew that I had killed Dapplefur, and she would have told everyone,_ he tells himself.

_Or maybe she wouldn't have…_ a voice whispers in his head. He growls, coming to a stop so he can organize his thoughts. _Who cares?! It's over; they're both dead._ But his conscience tells him that neither of them needed to die.

"I killed them both," he whispers, trying to reassure himself. His voice raises a little as he meows, "Dapplefur and Mothdapple were killed by me. They deserved it."

_But they didn't!_ a voice screams in his head. _Why did you do it?!_

Scarclaw turns around and blunders through the forest. _Mothdapple, Dapplefur, I'm so sorry!_ He runs into a mottled white tabby she-cat.

"Hello, Dovefur," he mews evasively.

She stares at him in horror, and then anger. "I heard you. You killed Mothdapple? And Dapplefur's dead?"

_Oh, no._ Scarclaw tries to dodge out of the way, to run away from Dovefur. But she blocks his way, and in a few seconds he is surrounded by the rest of her patrol.

The next few minutes seem to fly by. Scarclaw is taken back to camp. Mothdapple's body is brought in. A patrol is sent to look for Dapplefur near the Twoleg dens but is unsuccessful. Shadowstar comes out of her den and calls a meeting.

Scarclaw is exiled from SwiftClan for the murder of Mothdapple and Dapplefur.

As he walks dejectedly past the border and into the forest, glancing back at a hissing Honeypaw, his head is held low. _Why did I do it? Now I'm a rogue, forever to wander alone._

Scarclaw sighs, and runs faster into the forest, leaving behind his Clan, his Clanmates, his sister's body…

He stops for a second and glances back.

"Goodbye, SwiftClan," he whispers. Then he turns away and runs.


	3. Father

"Well done, Goldenpaw!" I congratulate. The pale ginger apprentice looks down at me and Bluefur from a high branch in the tree.

"Look, Bluefur! I'm going to climb all the way to the top!"

"Be careful," warns the blue she-cat.

"Concentrate on what you're doing!" I call up to Goldenpaw from the bottom of the tree.

"Where's Dappletail?" Bluefur asks, probably wondering why I'm watching Goldenpaw, instead of her mentor.

Without taking my eyes off of the apprentice, I answer, "She had to see Featherwhisker about a seed that got stuck in her eye."

"I'm going to ask Sunstar if Thrushpelt can be my mentor _forever_!" comes a squeal from above us. "Dappletail would never have let me climb this high!"

"Oops," I meow guiltily, glancing at Bluefur. "Goldenpaw seemed so sure she could do it, I assumed it wasn't the first time…"

Bluefur purrs. "Don't worry, I won't tell Dappletail."

Bluefur wanders away from us, towards the river. I watch her go, and then turn my attention to Goldenpaw, still pushing herself higher and higher up the tree.

"Okay, Goldenpaw," I call. "Time to come down."

"Awww!" I hear her voice faintly from the top of the tree. "Just a little bit higher?"

I purr with amusement. "You're at the top! You can't go any higher! Come on down."

A few leaves float down from the tree as Goldenpaw scrambles towards the ground, leaping from branch to branch. Finally, she bounds off of the lowest branch, hitting the ground with all four paws.

"Impressive," I meow.

She beams. "Thanks!" She turns towards the camp and bounds forward. "Come on!"

When we get to the camp, Dappletail is just padding out of the medicine den, blinking. She notices Goldenpaw and me, and sighs. "Thanks for watching her."

"No problem," I purr. "It was fun."

"Can we go hunting?" Goldenpaw asks.

"You were just out!" Dappletail meows, exasperated. She glances at me, rolling her eyes. I purr, amused, as I pad away, leaving mentor and apprentice to themselves.

I start back out of camp. _I'll go find Bluefur._ I head towards the river and pick up her scent. As I am almost on the riverbank, I catch another scent, too. My eyes widen. _RiverClan!_

Then I hear Bluefur's angry voice. "Why don't you shut up and get off of my territory?"

Then another voice. "It seems a shame to leave at the start of such a promising friendship."

_Friendship?!_ I glance over at the two cats and see Bluefur, dripping wet, and a reddish brown tom. _Oakheart!_ I recognize the RiverClan warrior from Gatherings. Bluefur snarls at him.

"You'd better leave now, or I'll give you a scar you won't forget," she growls.

Oakheart shrugs, padding into the shallow water and swimming gracefully over to the other side. "I won't forget you, scar or no scar," he calls. Bluefur glares after him.

I dodge behind a tree as she storms past, up the hill. Her pelt is still dripping; she probably fell in the water. I don't want her to see me and know I've been spying on her. I wait a few seconds before dashing back to camp, my mind swirling. _RiverClan was trespassing! Should I tell Sunstar? No, then Bluefur will know that I saw her._ I have a feeling that she didn't want anyone to see that.

Adderfang meets me at the entrance of the camp. "Thrushpelt, there you are," he meows. "Tawnyspots wants you on a border patrol."

"Okay," I reply. We head out, towards the ShadowClan border. We haven't gone far before Adderfang meows, "Bluefur?"

I push forward and see Bluefur, staring blankly at Adderfang. A large white shape was limp near her paws, streaked with scarlet.

_Snowfur!_

"A monster hit her," Bluefur explains, her voice hollow with grief. "ShadowClan cats were hunting squirrels in our territory and we chased them, and it hit her."

Adderfang glances at me. "Thrushpelt, check ShadowClan has gone and isn't coming back."

As I race away, I see Adderfang pick up Snowfur by her scruff out of the corner of my eye. She hangs limply in his grasp. _Poor Bluefur! What will Thistleclaw and Whitekit think?_

* * *

I lie on the ground in the middle of the camp. Glancing over at the nursery, I see Bluefur backing out. I stand up, stretching, and pad over to her. "How's the prey running?"

She looks at me, surprised. "Not so good."

"Where'd you go?" I ask.

"Tallpines."

I glance past her shoulder at the nursery. "How's Whitekit?"

"Fine," she replies.

"He's lucky to have you to watch out for him."

Bluefur looks down at her paws. "I don't know. I've not done too great so far."

"You've had a lot to deal with," I say softly. "I think you'd make a great mother." I imagine myself entering the nursery to see Bluefur, lying on a nest with two kits at her side. One gray, one a pretty blue…

Bluefur opens her mouth, apparently trying to find something to say. I shift my paws self-consciously.

"There's Rosetail!" she says suddenly, bounding away from me towards the light ginger tabby. I watch her wistfully as she begins a conversation with Rosetail.

_I love her. Why can't she see it?_

* * *

I pad back towards the river, Bluefur at my side. She looks uncomfortable to be in RiverClan's territory. Reeds rustle to the right, and she turns her head. Oakheart walks out from a patch of reeds, a fish in his mouth. I hold back a growl. _Oakheart!_ He drops his fish and stares at us. "What's going on?"

"ThunderClan has been making threats," Owlfur, his Clanmate, growls.

Oakheart's gaze flits to Bluefur, alarmed. "Is there going to be a battle?"

Sunstar flicks his tail. "We were trying to avoid one."

"Go home," Owlfur snarls.

"Very well," Sunstar meows, nodding his head. Oakheart joins the patrol escorting us to the border.

As Owlfur moves forward to take the lead, he falls in beside Bluefur. I glare angrily at him, but Oakheart doesn't seem to notice. He leans over slightly and hisses something in Bluefur's ear. She flicks her ears, but he is already moving to the back of the patrol.

"Ow!" Bluefur starts limping.

"Are you okay?" I ask immediately.

"Thorn in my paw," she complains. "I need to get it out."

"I'll help," I offer.

Oakheart growls. "You keep with the others. I'll help her."

I glare at him, and then take a step back. "Don't be long," I call to Bluefur. "Or I'll come back for you."

"I'll only be a moment," she promises. She and Oakheart stop while everyone else keep walking, and I hesitate for a second before bounding after them.

After we go around a corner and the two cats disappear from view, I stop. I peek around the edge of the reeds; Bluefur and Oakheart are standing next to each other. The thorn in Bluefur's paw seems to have been forgotten, and I confirm my suspicions: there was no thorn.

"I can't stop thinking about you," Oakheart says suddenly, looking straight at her. "Ever since last leaf-bare, when we talked near the river."

Bluefur backs away from him. "But that was ages ago! And you don't even know me!"

"I _want_ to know you," he insists. "Everything about you- your favorite fresh-kill, your earliest memory, what you dream of…"

"You can't!" she gasps. "The warrior code!"

Oakheart shakes his head. "This isn't about the code. This is about us. Meet me tomorrow at moonhigh at Fourtrees."

"I can't!" Bluefur protests.

"Just meet me," he begs. "Give me a chance!"

I can stand it no longer. I pad towards them, and Ottersplash comes up behind me, probably to make sure we both leave. "Bluefur?"

She turns to us. "Are you leaving the territory or not?" Ottersplash growls.

"Yes," she replies, hurrying towards me.

"Are you okay?" I ask softly. Bluefur stiffens. "Your paw?" I add quickly. "The thorn?"

"Oh! Oh, yes," she mews. "I got it out. It's fine."

She starts briskly towards the steppingstones; I growl softly at Oakheart and then follow her.

* * *

I shift in my nest. I yawn, unable to fall back asleep. I lift my head up sleepily. The warriors den is dark, but there is just enough moonlight coming in to make out the nest next to me. It's empty.

_Bluefur!_ She went to meet Oakheart after all, then. I sigh. _What does she see in him?_

What am I doing wrong?

* * *

"Bluefur?" I call, standing in the forest. She looks up at me. "Are you okay?"

She keeps walking, her head held low. "Just going back to camp."

I hold my tail up, blocking her path. "Stop," I order gently, looking into her eyes. "Rosetail has just congratulated me on becoming a father."

"She couldn't!" Bluefur meows, her eyes wide. "She promised!"

"Is she right?" I hardly dare to ask. "Are you having kits?"

"I'm so sorry. I didn't tell her you were the father." She looks down at her paws. "She just guessed, and it was easier…"

"So you _are_ going to have kits?" I ask, my heart sinking.

She blinks, and then replies quietly, "Yes, I am."

_Oakheart again!_ My eyes widen a little. _If anyone finds out… she'll be in big trouble._

Finally, I say, "I'm not going to ask who the father is." _Because I already know._ "I'm sure there's a reason why you've kept this secret."

Bluefur sighs. "I'm sorry it didn't work out differently. I- I would have been happy with you, I know. But now everything has gone wrong, and I don't know what to do."

I shift my paws. "You can tell the Clan that I'm the father, if you want. I mean, if it makes things easier."

She stares at me. "You'd really do that?"

I nod. "You know how I feel about you, Bluefur. I'd do my best to make you happy, I promise." I look her straight in the eyes. "And I'll love your kits as though they were really my own."

_As though I was really the father. I love you, Bluefur, and I always will._


	4. Exploit

Amber yawned. She got up and stretched, purring. She glanced around her yard. A fluffy white tom stood on the fence to her right.

"Hello, Cloud," she purred, padding over to him.

Cloud leapt down from the fence and into Amber's yard. "How are you today?" he asked.

"Good," she replied. "Do you want any food?"

"Nah, I was just fed. Emily gave me a can of tuna, yum." Emily was Cloud's person. She adopted him when he was a kitten, and they loved each other.

"Ooh, that sounds good," Amber sighed wistfully. "I only ever get dry food from my people."

"You should come over sometime and have some of my food! I'm sure Emily wouldn't mind. She loves you!" Cloud meowed enthusiastically.

"Hmmm, that sounds good," she replied. "Maybe I will."

A sudden noise from the other side of the fence made both cats' heads turn. Anguished panting came from somewhere towards the woods, and the birdsong fell quiet.

Amber glanced at Cloud, her eyes wide. He stared back at her. Amber whispered, almost silently, "Let's go look."

Cloud opened his mouth with a funny look on his face, as if to say, _Are you crazy?!_

Amber nodded. She leapt up onto the fence that faced the woods, and gasped.

A dark brown tom lay in front of her. He seemed to be trying to drag himself to the fence. He caught Amber's eye and whispered, "Help..."

She jumped off of the fence, and Cloud followed her, apparently thinking it was safe if Amber did it. She padded up to the strange cat.

"I need help," he choked. His pelt was matted with blood. A long gash ran down his flank; it looked fresh. "My Clan… be destroyed… if no help…"

Amber stood next to him anxiously. She wanted to help him… yet she didn't know what to do.

"How can I help? What do you need?" she asked. She had heard of the Clan living in the forest near her, but she didn't see how she could be of any help.

"My Clan…" The tom swallowed. "My Clan is under attack from… from evil… need help." He coughed. "Anyone, just need help… Lightning, a rogue… his army… Silverfeather…" His eyelids fluttered shut. "Help," he whispered. "Tell them… tell them… Lightning needs his army. Separate…" He couldn't finish his sentence. The fatally injured tom went completely limp and his breaths ceased.

"We need to help them!" Amber whispered.

Cloud's eyes widened. "But- but why?" he asked. "Can't we just stay here, where it's safer?"

She glared at him. "Cloud! Cats will die if we don't help! If you're not going, then I am!"

"But- but what if you're killed?" he whispered. "What would I do without you?"

"I'll be fine," she argued, although inside, she wasn't so sure. She turned around, facing the forest.

"You're going right now?" Cloud sighed. "Be careful, please."

Amber didn't answer. She glanced back at the dead tom and Cloud- possibly for the last time- and bounded into the forest.

* * *

Squirrelblaze headed towards the border, her belly growling from hunger and her limbs shaking with exhaustion. The NightClan borders had to be patrolled at all times because of Lightning's attacks.

Lightning, The very name makes her growl with anger. Lightning had attacked her Clan. He had caused Squirrelblaze's best friend, Silverfeather, to be killed in front of the whole Clan. She had dared to defy him… Squirrelblaze could picture it in her head quite clearly. Lightning had ordered every cat to bring every piece of prey that had been caught, and if they were good, he would reward them with food.

Silverfeather stepped forward. "No!" she had growled. "Why should we listen to you? You're nothing but a mean old loner, with no Clan to live in and no real friends!"

Lightning smirked, waving his tail as a command. A gray tom launched himself at Silverfeather, sinking his teeth into her neck. She had gasped, falling to the ground, but the tom didn't let go until she was dead.

When Treeheart, Silverfeather's mate, had rushed forward to attack, Lightning himself darted forward and carved a huge gash in his side. He, too, had fallen to the ground, but no cat needed to go finish him off. He had already gone limp, his eyes closed.

Lightning caused all of this. He had almost destroyed NightClan. The cats were only holding together by a little, and if there was another attack…

Squirrelblaze was filled with a deep hatred for Lightning. If she could ever get near him, with none of his army around… oh, he was going to pay for what he had done, even if she was killed, too. _I don't care, but he has to be killed._

She limped forward and marked the border, although there really was no point. The rogues didn't respect borderlines; they would cross them whenever, as if they weren't there.

A smell caught her attention. She was used to strange smells, with all the rogues living in the territory, but this one was… different. _A kittypet?_

Sure enough, a plump golden she-cat came running through the forest a second later. There was a wild look in her amber eyes. "Are you from a Clan?" she panted; Squirrelblaze nodded. "I have a message for you."

"What is it?" She was genuinely curious. What kind of message would make a kittypet come all the way into the woods to tell it?

The kittypet caught her breath. "My name is Amber. I was in my yard this morning, and I heard a noise. On the other side of my fence was a brown tom. He said he was from a Clan, and it was under attack from lightning, I think…"

Squirrelblaze caught her breath. "What, exactly, did the tom look like?"

"Hmmm... He was bigger than me, and he looked strong. He had long, dark brown fur… Oh! And bright amber eyes. They seemed to shine right through me."

"Treeheart!" she exclaimed joyfully. "He's alive!"

Amber shuffled her paws. "Well, actually, he… uhh… he was injured, really badly, on his side. There was blood everywhere. He was dragging himself from the woods, so he was all dirty, and the wound looked horrible. It was puffed up, and bright red, with dirty brown streaks, and blood leaking from the side." She shuddered. "He managed to choke a few sentences out, and then… and then he died."

Squirrelblaze's heart sank. "Oh."

"I'm sorry," the golden kittypet meowed. "Was he your friend?"

"Treeheart was my brother, actually," she replied sadly. "I- I thought he died when Lightning attacked him. I should have known it would take more than that to kill him. From your description, I think his wound got infected, and that's what- what killed him." I stared down at my paws, blinking, and then I looked back at Amber. "You said you had a message for me. What was it?"

"He was hard to understand, but he said something like, 'Lightning needs his army,' and then he said, 'Separate.' Those were his last words."

Squirrelblaze's mind swirled. _Lightning needs his army… If we can get Lightning away from all of the other rogues, then we can kill him! Once he's dead, the rogues will break up, without a leader. He relies on them to do the attacking and killing, just as they rely on him to lead them! He only gave Treeheart a small wound, so he must have been faking when he collapsed on the ground and pretended to be dead. Genius!_

"Thank you for the message," she meowed gratefully. "It really helped. I know now what we have to do. You can go back to your house now."

"Oh, no," Amber replied. "I've come all the way here to give you the message, and now I'm not leaving until your problem is solved, and the evil cat threatening you is dead."

* * *

The brown and ginger she-cat looked confused. "Why? Don't you want to go back to where you live?"

"No," Amber replied. "I mean, I do, but I want to help you guys, for some reason."

"That's very kind of you," she meowed. "But really, you don't have to.

"I want to," Amber insisted.

"Okay," sighed the she-cat. "But be warned: the army we're fighting is immensely dangerous, and you might be killed. We all might be killed."

Amber gulped. An image of Cloud filled her mind. _'What if you're killed? What would I do without you?'_

A small black she-cat padded out of the trees and stopped abruptly when she saw Amber. "Squirrelblaze, who is this?" she demanded.

"She's just a kittypet from the Twolegplace, over that way. She- she met Treeheart. He wasn't actually dead, and she found him outside her yard. He died there, but not before giving a message," meowed Squirrelblaze. "I have a plan now. A plan to get rid of Lightning once and for all."

* * *

"Attack!" Lightning's yowl rang out through the NightClan territory. Immediately, many rogues swarmed into the camp. But NightClan is well-prepared for their attack.

All of the queens, kits, and elders had been moved to the edge of the territory, far from danger. They hid in the branches of a few trees, and a couple warriors stayed there to protect them, just in case.

The warriors and apprentices were ready to battle. They had added extremely sharp thorns to the end of their claws, to make them twice as deadly. They were all well-rested, although prey was still scarce.

Squirrelblaze darted through the mass of fighting cats. She ignored all of the rogues, and instead made her way up the hill, out of the camp, towards Lightning. She knew exactly where he was. A patrol yesterday had seen him enter a bramble bush, through a secret entrance. It was his battle den, and that was where he was right now.

She made it to the top of the hill, and was relatively alone. "Cloud!" she hissed. That was the codeword for Amber to run down the hill. Every cat would see her, but only about five understood that that meant to come up the hill and fight Lightning. Amber herself had picked the word cloud, because that was the name of her mate.

A streak of golden shot down towards the hill. Squirrelblaze watched until the kittypet was out of sight, and then she crept towards Lightning's den. Sure enough, he was there. She could hear him, his tail flicking back and forth, rustling leaves. His scent hung in the air.

She waited a few more seconds until the cats appeared. Goldenstorm, Gingerstripe, Frogleap, Hollypaw, and Redblaze. They gathered next to her, wordless. The plan had already been told to all of them. Squirrelblaze flicked her tail. She paused, and then launched herself into Lightning's den.

Lightning was lying on his nest, enjoying a mouse, but he jumped up when he saw Squirrelblaze. His hackles raised, and he hissed. Anger and hatred filled her, and she leapt at him, her claws reaching for his throat. He blocked her easily. _Although he's not as good as his rogues, he's still an amazing fighter._

Squirrelblaze yowled, and the rest of the patrol streamed into the den. Fear flashed in Lightning's eyes, but only for a second. "You think you can stop me?" he hissed. "Think again!" He attacked Redblaze first, as he was the closest. The small ginger tom choked under the rogue's claws, but Goldenstorm and Frogleap pulled him off.

Lightning seemed to realize that he couldn't pick them off, one by one. Whenever he tried, more cats would save the one. He backed up into a corner, and Squirrelblaze advanced on him. Terror filled his eyes.

All of a sudden, he was gone.

"He went out through a back exit!" Gingerstripe gasped.

"After him!" Hollypaw yowled. She led the charge out of the den.

Squirrelblaze quickly spotted him. He was heading back towards the main fight, where all of the rogues were. _Oh, no! If he gets there, we'll lose for sure!_

A golden shape blocked his path, claws extended. Squirrelblaze's eyes widened. _Amber!_

Lightning looked amused that a kittypet would try to stop him; he was completely surprised when Amber leapt at him, her teeth reaching for his throat in a smooth battle move. He retaliated with a swipe to the head, but she dodged instinctively and jumped up again. This time, her teeth met in his neck.

Both cats fell to the ground, struggling and hissing, but Amber would not let go. Blood flowed, and Lightning's claws carved gashes in Amber's pelt, but still she did not let go.

Lightning seemed to be getting weaker. Squirrelblaze ran forward and helped Amber. Lightning stopped struggling.

Squirrelblaze stared at Lightning's body for a few seconds. "Wow," she whispered. "Amber, you were amazing! Where did you learn-" She stopped abruptly, catching sight of the golden kittypet. "Amber!"

She was collapsed on the ground, blood flowing from dozens of wounds on her sides. Her breaths were rapid and shallow, her side barely moving. Her eyes were closed.

"Oh, Amber, no!" Squirrelblaze dropped to her side, pushing her nose into Amber's fur. Her vision blurred. "You've saved all of our lives. Lightning's dead! You did it! Please, stay with me."

"Cloud," Amber murmured, her eyes still closed. "Cloud…"

Squirrelblaze looked up. "Gingerstripe, go tell everyone that Lightning is dead. The rogues will have nothing to fight for, so the battle should be over." The ginger tabby tom nodded and raced off.

Squirrelblaze picked up Amber by her scruff and gently carried her towards the Twolegplace.

* * *

Everything was dark. Amber groaned. A voice, sounding strangely muffed, called out, "Amber!" She recognized that voice. _Cloud!_

She opened her eyes. She was lying on the grass on the other side of her fence. Cloud stood over her, looking overjoyed to see her conscious. _I'm back! It must have all been a dream._

But then Squirrelblaze's voice asked, "Amber, are you okay?"

Amber glanced towards her voice. The brown and ginger she-cat stood next to Cloud. "What happened?" Amber asked groggily.

"You did it," she whispered. "You killed Lightning. You saved us all."

Cloud glanced at her. "She did what? Who? How?"

Amber smiled weakly. "Oh, Cloud, just wait until I tell you what an adventure I've had."


	5. Boredom

I sigh. The tip of my tail flicks back and forth, stirring the dust that lies on the ground in the center of the camp.

"Hey, Butterflykit." My best friend's voice makes me lift my head. I glance to my left: a tiny ginger tabby tom meets my gaze, his bright blue eyes sparkling. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," I reply dully. "Nothing at all." I sit up. "There's nothing to do, Flamekit! Silentstorm won't let me leave the camp, because I'm not six moons yet."

Flamekit blinks. "This isn't like you! You're supposed to be running around, making toys out of twigs and inventing games on the spot! Usually you can find a million things to do without leaving the camp!"

"I know," I groan. "But we've done everything there is to do. I'm bored."

"Did Butterflykit just say she was… bored?" Flamekit and I turn our heads. A dark gray tom stares at us, genuinely surprised.

"Hello, Silentstorm." I flick my tail. "There's nothing to do here! Why can't we leave the camp?"

"You're both still kits!" my father meows, exasperated. "You must respect the warrior code! All kits-"

"-must stay in camp until they are six moons old," Flamekit and I finish.

"Oh, come on!" I cry. "Please? Pretty please? Pretty pretty please with a mouse on top?"

"No," Silentstorm meows sternly, although I can tell he's amused. "And that's final."

"Awwwww," Flamekit and I whine.

"You'll be apprentices in a few moons; stop complaining." He turns his back to us, padding towards the warriors den.

I glance around at the camp. The green-leaf sun is high, and many ForestClan cats are lounging in the shadows or sharing tongues lazily. It's too hot to do much else.

Suddenly, I have an idea. My eyes widen, and I stare back at Flamekit. He looks back at me, confused. "What?"

"Follow me!" I hiss.

"Why?" he wonders. I push him towards the dirtplace, on the opposite side of the camp entrance.

Once inside the smelly cave, I whisper, "Let's sneak out!"

Flamekit narrows his eyes. "We'll get caught."

"No, we won't," I argue. "Everyone's tired and hot. They'll think we went for a nap in the nursery, and no one will know the difference."

He sighs. "Fine, but Mothkit's coming too. She'd kill me if she knew we went without her."

"You're right," I agree. "We should bring her." I pad out cautiously from the dirtplace, heading towards the nursery. I sick my head in and hiss, "Mothkit!"

The little gray she-kit lifts her head sleepily and looks at me, but so does Peachwatcher, Mothkit and Flamekit's mother. "Butterflykit," she murmurs. "What are you doing?"

"I wanted to show Mothkit something," I meow smoothly.

To my dismay, Mothkit pipes up, "What?"

"Um… Flamekit and I found a…. frog!" I meow, thinking quickly. "Near the fresh-kill pile! It's really cool."

She snorts. "Just a frog? I've seen plenty of frogs." She settles back down in her nest.

"No, but this one is different!" I reply. "Just come here."

"Fine." Mothkit lifts herself out of the warm moss and walks towards me, her usually silky fur matted. I lead her over to the dirtplace, where Flamekit is hiding, and we pad in together.

"A frog? Down here?" Mothkit wonders. "Eew!"

"No, the frog was a distraction," I meow. "I needed to get you down here so Flamekit and I could tell you our plan."

"What plan?"

"We're going to sneak out of camp," Flamekit whispers.

"Ooh, cool!" Mothkit exclaims.

"Shhh!" Flamekit and I hiss.

"Sorry," she whispers.

I lead the way to the exit tunnel, where the dirtplace opens up to the territory beyond the camp. A thrill of excitement runs through me.

Without a word, all three of us are outside the camp.

I take the lead, seeing as it was _my_idea in the first place. I glance back at my friends and see their eyes wide with wonder.

I bound past a bush, my little legs making slow progress on the gigantic territory. Flamekit keeps pace with me, but Mothkit begins to fall behind.

"Wait for me!" she mews loudly. Her voice echoes through the forest, and I freeze. _Did anyone hear us?_When no warriors come running, I relax a little bit.

I blink, realizing Flamekit is several fox-lengths in front of me. I run after him. The three of us wander through the forest like this for a while, occasionally stopping to look at a beetle or smell a flower, not thinking once about where we are or how we are going to get back.

After a while, however, we get hungry. I look around at the trees nervously. _How long have we been gone?_Probably at least two hours.

"I'm hungry," Flamekit complains, voicing my thoughts. I lift my nose and catch a tantalizing scent.

"Come this way!" I call. "I smell a mouse!"

"But we can't hunt," Mothkit meows. "What good does a mouse do us?"

"Look!" Flamekit meows excitedly. I glance the way he's looking and stop in awe. _How didn't I notice this before?_

A large cave spreads out before us, the entrance a dark hole in the side of the solid rock.

"Let's go in!" mews Flamekit.

"Are you kidding? Big, dark caves are _never_a good sign," Mothkit mews, but Flamekit has already run in.

"The scent of mouse leads in here!"

I follow him, and Mothkit sighs. I hear her bound in after us.

Flamekit had gotten far ahead of us, and we find him in the middle of a large, underground clearing. A little light from outside makes its way into the cave, so we can see him. He's crouched on the ground, eagerly gulping up a dead mouse. "Look what I found!" he mews triumphantly, with his mouth full.

Mothkit opens her mouth, probably to tell him not to eat it, but then her belly rumbles loudly. She sighs.

Suddenly, I hear something. _Pawsteps?_Mothkit's eyes widen as I turn my head slowly towards the tunnel we just came from- from outside.

"What is it?" I whisper nervously.

Flamekit snorts. "Whatever it is, I'm not afraid of it!" He leaves the mouse alone and storms towards the noise.

"Flamekit, no!" Mothkit and I screech. But we're too late.

A large black paw knocks him back. Flamekit's head hits the side of the cave, and he collapses on the ground, his eyes closed and a trickle of blood coming from his mouth.

Mothkit and I shrink against the wall as the creature slinks into the cave. It turns its head, and I see a pair of glinting amber eyes.

We've walked right into a fox den.

* * *

I stand up, stretching. The sun blazes down on me, making my gray pelt itch uncomfortably.

I head towards the nursery, looking for Butterflykit and Flamekit. _Maybe they'd like to play a game?_

When I enter the nursery, I make out the shape of Peacewatcher, curled up with two kits at her side that could only be Butterflykit and Flamekit.

"Hello, Silentstorm," Peacewatcher meows sleepily. "What're you doing?"

"I _was_looking for Butterflykit and Flamekit, but now I'm not."

"Why?" she asks.

I look at her, confused. "Well, because I've found them!" I meow, motioning to the two sleeping kits.

Peacewatcher frowns. She strokes one of the kits with her tail, and I look closer at them. I recognize the identical brown tabby pelts of Mudkit and Dustkit.

"Oh," I mew. "I thought those were them. Have you seen them?"

She shakes her head. "No, sorry. They're probably somewhere around here."

"Hmmm. Tell me if you see them." I walk back out and into the center of the camp. _Where would they be?_

"Butterflykit?" I call. "Flamekit?"

I freeze as a horrible thought strikes me. _"Why can't we leave the camp?"_ Butterflykit's shrill voice rings in my ears. _They've snuck out! Oh, no!_

"Maplestar!" I screech, running towards her den. The leader pads out sleepily, although her amber eyes are alert.

"What is it?" she says sharply.

"Butterflykit and Flamekit! They've left the camp!"

Her eyes widen. "Are you sure?" she demands.

I nod. "They're not anywhere! They must be in the forest!"

By now, most of the Clan was looking our way, wanting to know what the noise is about. "Gingertail, Jaypaw, Oakfire, and Leafbreeze, you will be on the patrol to find the kits," Maplestar meows. "Oh, and of course, Silentstorm, you should come."

I dip my head. "Thank you."

The patrol of hot, tired cats heads out, following the kits' scents. I take the lead. Occasionally, I see a few pawprints in some mud, or the scattered seeds of a dandelion: signs the kits have gone this way.

After a little while, I start to smell the kits' smells, but stronger, and laced with fear. _Oh, I hope they're okay!_

Soon, the entrance of a large cave comes into view. It's obviously a fox den. I pause, but the rest of the patrol keeps trekking past it. "Wait," I call, with a sinking feeling. "The scents lead… lead in here."

I see the dismayed and frightened looks on the other cats' faces. I brace myself, and head towards the entrance. The foul stench of fox enters my nose, and I flinch, but keep going and walk inside.

My eyes take only a few seconds to adjust to the darkness. I pad silently down the tunnel, the patrol following me. The sound of pawsteps reaches my ears, and a few moans. _Oh, StarClan, please don't let them be hurt!_

I catch the sound of whimpering next. I turn around to face the rest of the patrol. Jaypaws nods excitedly, but his mentor, Leafbreeze, looks grim.

The scent of the fox is somewhat stale, so I walk into the main cave cautiously.

"Silentstorm!" comes a whisper from the side of the cave. I whip my head around.

"Butterflykit!" I cry joyously. My daughter's eyes widen happily, but they narrow again almost instantly.

"You have to help! A- a fox lives here- and… and…." She motions towards a dark shape in the corner.

With a feeling of horror, I realize it's Flamekit, collapsed, unconscious on the floor.

"He's not- he can't be…" I rush over to the tiny ginger tom and realize another kit is bent over him. She looks up at me with wide green eyes. _Mothkit?_

"He's not dead," Mothkit mews. "I- I don't think he is, at least."

I turn to face the other cats. "Oakfire, take Butterflykit and Mothkit back to the camp. I'll get Flamekit."

She nods, but before anyone can move, a low growling fills the cave.

The fox has returned.

Instantly, we move into action. Leafbreeze throws herself over Butterflykit in protection, while Oakfire bundles Mothkit out of the way. I leap directly at the fox, my claws aiming straight at its face.

The creature snarls, whipping its head to the side. I hook my claws into its tangled fur and hang on tight.

Jaypaw darts around the fox's feet, tripping it up and scratching its skinny legs, while Gingertail nips at the bushy tail.

I manage to get a better grip on the fox, and I sink my thorn-sharp teeth into its neck.

The animal lets out a loud howl of pain. I get knocked off as it dashes wildly towards the outside. I pick myself up off of the ground as I watch the tip of its ginger tail disappearing from sight.

"And don't come back!" Gingertail yowls. Her ginger pelt is laced with scratches, but she seems okay. I stare the way the fox went for a few seconds, and then I race to Flamekit's side.

Jaypaw had been looking down at the ginger kit. He turns his bright blue gaze on me. "Will he be okay?" he asks quietly.

I long to say yes, to say that everything was going to be fine. But I know I can't.

"I don't know," I reply truthfully. "I just don't know." Flamekit's eyes are closed, and his head is lying limply on the ground. "The best we can do right now is getting him to Silvereye."

The apprentice nods. I pick up Flamekit by the scruff of his neck and pad out of the cave. Leafbreeze, like the gentle she-cat she is, herds the other two kits out, still guarding them cautiously.

The patrol travels in silence. We make it back to the camp quickly. Silvereye, the blind medicine cat, comes out of her den and takes Flamekit gently. The rest of the cats eat or rest in silence, everyone worried about the friendly ginger tom.

_Oh, StarClan, please don't let him join you yet!_

* * *

I lie miserably in the nursery, unable to sleep. _This is all my fault!_

_If only I hadn't wanted to leave the camp,_ I think angrily, cursing myself. _If he dies…. No._ I tear my mind away from the horrible thought. _He won't die._

Restless, I stand up and stretch. I pad out of the nursery slowly, my paws dragging, as I head to the medicine den. I just want a peek inside, and I need to know if Flamekit will be okay.

Nervous at what I'll see, I walk in cautiously. "Silvereye?" I call quietly.

The tabby she-cat turns her head, sniffing. Her sightless, silvery blue gaze is focused on a spot slightly to my left. "Yes, Butterflykit?" She recognizes me by my scent.

"Where's Flamekit? Is he going to be okay?" I hardly dare to ask.

"Don't worry," she purrs, to my surprise. "He's perfectly fine!"

"Really?" I meow quickly, my eyes wide.

"He was just knocked out. He's got a few scratches, but he's fine! He says he feels okay." she mews. "In fact, I was just about to go tell the Clan."

Flamekit stirs in his nest. I rush over to his side as he blinks open his beautiful blue eyes. "Butterflykit!" he mews happily.

"Is it true? You're feeling okay?"

"Yep," he purrs. He gets to his paws to prove his point, and limps a few steps, wincing. "See?" he asks, through gritted teeth.

I flick him with my tail. "You're such a show-off!"

He grins. "I know."

Side by side, my best friend and I pad out of the den and into the middle of the ForestClan camp.


	6. Art of Conversation

Everything is dark. Night has embraced the forest, leaving it black and shadowy.

A single ray of moonlight penetrates the trees and lands on a small clearing, where a cat is lying down in silence. His dark brown pelt blends well into his surroundings, but he looks nervous.

He shifts uncomfortably, sure that there is someone else in the forest. Or some_thing._

The tom barely stifles a gasp as he notices a pair of gleaming, ice-blue eyes shining out at him from a few fox-lengths away.

Almost inaudibly, he whispers, "Hello?"

The pair of eyes moves closer. "Hello," something whispers back. Its voice is like honey- smooth and sweet.

The shadowy form of a cat steps out from the trees. Her beautiful white pelt is bathed silver in the moonlight, so she appears to be glowing softly.

The tom stares, openmouthed, as she looks straight at him, her blue eyes sparkling.

"Why, what's a handsome tom, like you, doing here in the middle of the night?" she purrs. "You should be curled up somewhere with your mate."

He blinks, closing his mouth, shaking his head a little to clear it. "I- I don't have a mate," he stammers.

The beautiful she-cat sighs sympathetically. "Oh, you poor thing." She sweeps her feathery tail in front of her and sits down delicately. "What is your name?"

"Uhh- Taka," he replies, mystified by the she-cat.

"Ahh, a wonderful name," she purrs. "How would you like to come with me? I have a warm den, with plenty of nests. You'd be welcome to stay as long as you wish."

Taka's green eyes widen. "Me? With- with you?"

"Yes," she meows, with that beautiful, smooth voice. "I live not far from here. It would be less than a day's journey."

"Of course! I- I mean-" He looks for something to say. "I'd love to come with you. Thank you."

She stands up, flicking her tail. "Come." The she-cat takes a step back towards the darkness, where the moonlight doesn't reach.

"Wait," Taka meows. She turns her head to look at him as he continues shyly, "You- you haven't told me your name yet."

"My name? Mirage," she purrs smoothly. With that, she turns and pads swiftly away.

"Mirage," Taka murmurs. He stumbles forward, tripping over his large paws, and follows her.

_What a beautiful name..._

* * *

Taka follows Mirage as if he were dreaming. She doesn't feel real to him- more like she was a beautiful creation that sprang from his imagination.

_And if she is real… why did she pick me, of all cats?_he wonders.

Before too long, Mirage stops at a large oak tree. It looks common, just like all the others. She whispers something that Taka doesn't catch, and part of the trunk slides over, revealing a hole in the tree.

A snowy white she-cat comes into view, looking at Mirage eagerly. "Finally, you're back!" she mews. Her voice is higher than Mirage's, but something about them is similar.

Then the she-cat's gaze falls on Taka. "Hello," she mews evenly. Then she glares at Mirage. "Another tom?" she demands. "Haven't you enough already?"

_Enough?_ Taka wonders dimly. _What can she mean?_

"Oh, Melody," she purrs, casting a glance at Taka. "You know that each and every one of these toms is amazing. Although…" Her voice drops to a whisper, but Taka can still hear her. "…I think Taka's the best."

Taka's heart swells with pride. _She thinks _I'm_ the best!_

"Now, let us in," Mirage commands.

"All right, all right," Melody grumbles, stepping aside to reveal a tunnel inside the tree. Mirage pushes her out of the way and leaps in.

Taka takes a step forward uncertainly. "Go on," Melody sighs. "Just jump in."

He takes a deep breath, and then springs into the dark hole.

For a few seconds, he is free-falling, and then the tunnel curves and he finds himself speeding underground. Taka twists his head around as best as he can, but only darkness meets his vision. No light could come in through the hole. He can hear Melody right behind him.

Soon, the tunnel straightens out and he comes to a stop. Taka stands up, his legs shaking, and stumbles towards a small patch of light that must be the exit.

He comes out into a large opening. It's still underground, he can tell, but light is streaming in through holes in the roof of the cave.

Some cats are walking around, some are sitting, and some are fast asleep on the ground, but they all have one thing in common: every cat is male. Many heads turn Taka's way as he looks around nervously.

Melody walks up behind him. "Come this way, please," she says briskly. She turns and walks towards a small, uncomfortable-looking nest, hidden far away from all of the other cats in a dark corner of the cave.

Taka follows her curiously. "What is this place?" he asks, once they are both sitting in the nest.

Melody sighs. "This is Mirage's den," she meows. "Mirage is my sister. She will explain more to you at the gathering. It should be starting soon."

Sure enough, Mirage's beautiful voice rings through the cavern a second later. "Come, everyone! It is time for the gathering!"

Instantly the toms are up, and running to the rock that Mirage stands on. Taka has a strong urge to join them. He glances shyly back at Melody. "Are you coming?" he asks.

"Yes, I'm right behind you," was the reply. "Go ahead."

So Taka races towards all of the other toms. Every cat looks admiringly at Mirage.

"The time has come for what you have all been waiting for!" she yowls. Her voice echoes clearly around the den. "We will attack the loners and drive them out! The territory shall be ours!"

Melody snorts. "Yeah, right." Taka ignores her.

"And," Mirage continues, in her silky-sweet voice, "the best tom- the one that shows bravery, courage, and loyalty to me- will have the greatest honor of all: they will stay by my side forever as my loyal mate!"

The cheers and whoops of the love-stricken toms echoes around the cavern, pounding in on Taka's ears. He gazes lovingly at Mirage, sighing longingly.

"This meeting is now over." The beautiful she-cat disappears into a smaller opening in the side of the cave.

Taka turns to Melody, shaking his head to clear it. "How can Mirage be so beautiful and yet not already have a mate?"

"She really only seems beautiful when she's speaking," Melody replies. "The way she speaks, she can entrance nearly any tom." She flicks her tail irritably. "I see her as she really is- a plain white she-cat who wants to be liked, just so she can get her way!" She stands up with an annoyed _huff_.

Taka tilts his head to the side curiously. "How is that possible? Her _voice_makes her look beautiful?" But as he says it, he realizes that is most likely the truth. Her meow was like honey, smooth and sweet.

"Shhh!" Melody hisses. "Come back to my nest, and we can talk privately."

Taka follows her back to the dry nest in the corner. "So, you're saying Mirage isn't really beautiful?"

"Yeah," Melody sighs ruefully. She looks around her nest cautiously, but every other cat is far away. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but it's not like Mirage is going to find out."

"But how does she do it?" he persists, naturally curious.

"It's a gift," she grumbles. "Or at least that's what Mirage calls it. She says it's an art, and she alone has perfected it."

"And you agree with her?"

"Sort of," Melody says hesitantly. "Mirage can speak wonderfully, yes, but I wouldn't say she's the only one that 'has perfected it'. There's probably other cats that can speak just like she does."

Taka sits in silence for a while, thinking. "What if Mirage doesn't like the cat that fights the best in the battle?" he asks finally. "She promised she'd take him as her mate, but what if he's horrible?"

The white she-cat grimaces. "Well... to tell you the truth, she doesn't like any cat here but herself. When the happy, unknowing tom enters her den with his new 'mate', she pounces, and..." Melody trails off, looking at the ground.

"...she kills them," Taka finishes with a grim understanding. Melody nods, and Taka stands up. "We have to stop this battle!" he exclaims quietly, so nobody except Melody could hear.

"What can we do?" Melody groans. "I've tried telling the truth to these cats, but I got as much effects as if I was talking to a dead mouse. They just don't listen."

Taka opens his mouth to speak, but breaks off as an idea strikes him. "Wait, you said that 'there's probably other cats that can talk like Mirage.' You two are sisters. If she can charm-talk like that, can't you?"

Melody looks uncomfortable. "I don't know, I've never tried it... but I don't want..."

"Come on!" Taka meows. "You have to do it to convince the toms!"

"But I just don't feel comfortable-" she starts, but Taka cuts her off again.

"If you don't, innocent cats will be killed!"

Melody looks down at her paws, and then she sighs. "No, you're right. We need to stop that battle." She raises her head so her sparkling blue eyes are equal with Taka's. "I'm in."

* * *

Taka stares out from the shadows, his gleaming green eyes fixed on the silhouette of the cat in front of him. _Come on, Melody, hurry,_ he urges silently. _You can do this._

Melody takes a cautious step towards the group of cats in front of her. A few turn to look at her curiously, but most ignore her completely. "Uhh- hi," she starts nervously. A few cats raise their heads and glare at her for interrupting their naps. _Go on, Melody!_thinks Taka encouragingly.

"I need to tell you something. You see, Mirage... well, she's, umm, evil, and..." Melody falters. With annoyed groans, the few cats whose attention Melody had had slumped back on the ground to rest.

One cat, a black and white tom, sits up straight. "My name is Patch. Mirage is the love of my life, and she is most definitely not 'evil', as you say; she is the most wonderful she-cat anyone can ever imagine. What right have you to call her 'evil'?"

Melody glares at the tom, her fur fluffing up a little. "Mirage is a liar," she meows angrily. Her voice rings out clear and loud. "She says that the bravest tom will be her mate, but she lies! She hates each and every one of you, and she is only using you as a way to get what she wants! Can't you see?" Melody takes a deep breath, and Taka is delighted to see that every cat's eyes are on her. "Mirage is lying to and using you. None of you mean anything to her but tools. That's all you are to her. Tools to get the territory she wants. Tools that can be used, and then thrown away."

"How do you know?" cries Patch.

"Think about it." Melody narrows her eyes. "Has Mirage ever, once, seemed to care for you? Look at you! Your fur is unkempt and messy. Has Mirage ever even given you anything to eat since you've been here?!"

A couple of the toms look down at their bellies, as if just realizing how hungry they are. "Hey, maybe she's right..." one of them meows.

"Yeah!" another agrees. "What has Mirage ever done for us!"

Patch speaks up yet again. "Mirage's intentions are good. Perhaps she doesn't give us food because she wants to see if we are capable of hunting for ourselves." Which, of course," he adds, "I am."

"But how do we get out?" another tom challenges. "We're trapped in her den, and only she knows the way out. How could she possibly expect us to hunt for ourselves if she keeps us from the prey?"

The Mirage-lover falters, his mouth hanging open as he tries to think of a comeback. "Well..." He sighs, looking down at his large paws. "I guess... you are right," he admits. "She's never done anything nice to us. But she hasn't done anything 'evil', either!" he adds brightly. "For the first time in my life, I have the chance to actually have a mate- and an amazing, beautiful one at that. Why can't it stay like this?"

Taka, who had been watching the whole thing, steps forward so he is shoulder-to-shoulder with Melody. "You're doing it!" he whispers.

"Who are you?" snarls Patch.

"My name is Taka," he replies, "and I'm just like you- a lone tom who fell straight into Mirage's trap." His green eyes narrow slightly. "Except that I have climbed back out of that trap, all thanks to this lovely she-cat." Taka flicks his tail towards Melody, who ducks her head in embarrassment. "And we're going to help you get free from Mirage, too. Which do you value more- Mirage, or your life?"

The black-and-white cat hesitates for a second before replying. "Why does it matter?" he jeers. "It's not like I'm risking my life for Mirage or anything. We're just battling against a few loners, and I'm more than a match for a bunch of weak she-cats. I'm going to fight the best, win the battle, and then win Mirage's heart. There's nothing wrong with that!"

"Aah, that's where you're wrong," Melody meows. "Mirage plans on killing the tom that's the bravest and strongest, because she doesn't want any cats rising up against her."

Patch gapes, openmouthed. Then his amber eyes narrow in fury. "That evil, disgraced, pathetic excuse for a she-cat!"

"Shh!" Melody and Taka whisper together, but they were too late.

Mirage comes angrily out of her den. "What-" she snarls, and then breaks off with a little cough. "Why, what are you toms doing?" she purrs curiously. Taka feels himself getting a little dizzy, but he shakes his head to clear it and avoids looking Mirage in the eyes.

Patch stalks forward to look Mirage in the eyes. "I'm leaving," he announces. "I can't believe I ever let you fool me."

An expression of nervousness flits across Mirage's face, but it is replaced immediately by confusion. "Why, darling? You do not like it here? How can I make it better?"

"Stop sweet-talking me!" Patch cries. "Enough! We all know your secret, and there's nothing you can do about it!"

Every cat, including Mirage, stares at him, stunned. No cat had ever dared to talk to Mirage like that.

"What did you say?" Mirage growls, every trace of her sweet voice gone.

"I _said_I'm leaving!" he growls back. "And you can't stop me. I won't fight for you."

With that, the black and white tom turns around, hitting Mirage in the face with his tail, and marches away, towards the entrance tunnel.

Mirage stares at him in disbelief. Then her blue eyes narrow and her mouth opens in a yowl of fury. She races towards him and jumps onto his back, sinking her claws in deep.

Patch flips onto his back and swats her in the face with a yowl. Mirage is knocked back a cat-length, and then she crouches down and leaps for his throat.

Taka and Melody can only watch in horror as she sinks her teeth into his neck and rips a huge gash. Warm, sticky blood washes from the wound, and Mirage lets go, staring down at the twitching tom with a cold look in her eyes.

"Anyone else want to oppose me?" she snarls, as Patch's amber eyes glaze over.

Taka, filled with anger, takes a step forward, his green eyes narrowed. "Me."

"Taka, no!" Melody cries. "She'll kill you!" She moves forward to try and drag him back, but he dodges her.

Taka throws himself at Mirage, anger and determination rushing through his body. He swipes at the she-cat's face but she ducks with a snarl. Taka batters her head with his paws, and she screeches. Mirage rakes her claws down his face, and he howls in pain.

Melody paces anxiously back and forth, wanting to help but unable to. She keeps starting forward, just to change her mind and fall back.

With a cold gleam in his eyes, Taka lunges forward and fixes his teeth in Mirage's front leg, drawing blood. She screeches again, trying to free it, but Taka won't let go.

Finally, Mirage is able to pull her bloody leg from Taka's grasp. Both cats bring themselves to their full height, glaring at each other.

Mirage scowls, her gaze traveling the crowd of angry toms. "Fine," she mutters. "You win this time. But this isn't over!" she adds, limping towards a crack in the rock wall of the cave that no cat had noticed before. She disappears inside, and Taka can hear her struggling to climb up the secret passage that leads to the outside.

"Taka!" Melody exclaims, running up to him and rubbing her muzzle against his. "That was amazing! I didn't know you could fight like that!"

Taka purrs. "I didn't know I could, either."

Casting forlorn looks at Patch's body, a few cats started climbing up the tunnel, their bellies rumbling. After a few minutes, the cavern is mostly empty, save Melody and Taka, who had been sitting together, thinking.

"Melody," Taka starts hesitantly, after a long pause. She turns her blue gaze on him curiously as he continues, "I know we haven't known each other for long, but..."

Melody's eyes widen.

"Will you be my mate?" Taka whispers.

"Of course I will," she whispers back. "I've loved you since I saw you for the first time, I just couldn't bring myself to say it."

Taka purrs loudly. Melody stands up and stretches. "Come on, then, let's go."

The brown-and-black tom's whiskers twitch. "I'm right behind you."

The two cats bound to the entrance and disappear inside, climbing up the spiral stone path until they emerged above ground. Melody and Taka, side by side, step out into the daylight.

Melody's blue eyes sparkle. "Race you to that tree over there!"

Purring, Taka runs after her. Leaving Mirage's den far behind, they race through the forest, the wind in their fur and the birds singing.

And neither cat had ever been happier.


	7. Take Your Best Shot

Stars shine down on the vast plain, sparkling in the darkness like fireflies. The large, silvery moon, resting at the top of the sky, illuminates a large patch of the dusty ground, where many writhing, screeching cats are visible. Their yowls rings through the clear night air, drowning out all other sounds as they battle to the end.

One cat, a pale gray she-cat, draws herself up to her full height and looks a tom straight in the eyes. His ginger pelt is bathed silver in the moonlight.

"Why has it come to this?" the she-cat cries. "Is this little piece of territory really worth it?" She gestures towards a motionless black shape near her paws. Blood pooled around it. "Cats are dying, Redstar! This battle must be stopped!"

"You can't fool me that way, Featherstar," the tom snarls. "You're just too weak to fight back. Cats die, all right? This is a battle!" Redstar flexes his shoulders. "A battle that FireClan will win!" With an ear-shattering yowl, he lunges towards Featherstar, teeth bared and reaching for her throat.

She ducks under his outstretched paws and whips around to face him again. "What happened to an honorable battle?" Featherstar spits. "A true warrior doesn't fight to kill, remember? Or have FireClan forgotten the warrior code long ago?" Her blue eyes glint angrily.

Redstar's fur bristles. He opens his mouth to retort, but a dark ginger she-cat comes running towards the two leaders.

"Give it up!" she growls. "SandClan has already driven away MorningClan, StormClan, _and_ CheetahClan- and not without many injuries. It's time you two took your Clans and fled as well, before you are both destroyed by SandClan. Our warriors are better, stronger, and faster, and you know it."

"No, Russetstar," Featherstar replies firmly. "DoveClan is done fighting. We have lost too many already. First Dusklight, then Finchwing, and now Hollyblaze!" She lowers her head in grief, and then lifts it back up to look the SandClan leader in the eyes. "But we are not fleeing. There has to be some other way to decide which Clan can claim the territory."

"Like what?" Russetstar challenges. "Battles are a part of life, and they always will be."

"What about..." Featherstar looks around, searching for something to say. Then she perks her head up. "What about a contest? Each Clan could send their best cat, and the winner's Clan could add the new territory to their own. That way the strongest Clan would still win the territory, yet no blood would be shed."

Redstar and Russetstar stare at her. "Didn't you hear what I said earlier?" Redstar demands. "Cats die! This little 'competition' won't change anything. We'll still have a battle, sooner or later. And I bet DoveClan would cheat, anyway-"

"Actually, it's not a bad idea," Russetstar interrupts. "I like it, although I'm not sure that it will work. If it fails, and we have another battle..." She extends her claws menacingly. "SandClan will win the territory the traditional way."

Featherstar growls deep in her throat. "Thank you, Russetstar," she sighs. "We will decide whether to go through with this plan at the Gathering, when the other three leaders are present." The DoveClan leader raises her blood-streaked muzzle to the sky, staring at the stars. "And may the best Clan win."

**********************************

Appleblossom raises her head and looks excitedly at the Great Rock, where the six Clan leaders are gathered, talking quietly. She spots a lithe tabby- Silverstar, the leader of StormClan- sitting next to a tortoiseshell and white she-cat that could only be the leader of CheetahClan, Spottedstar.

Behind them sat Redstar of FireClan, Featherstar of DoveClan, and Goldenstar of MorningClan. And, of course, Russetstar- the leader of Appleblossom's Clan, SandClan.

The DoveClan leader, Featherstar, stands up and moves towards the front of the rock. "Settle down, everyone," she calls. "It's time for the Gathering to begin!" She sits back down, dipping her head to Goldenstar, motioning for him to go first.

The pale ginger tom steps forward, looking around the huge crowd of cats. "I'm sure by now you have all heard of the competition planned for today. Of course, this is not a true Gathering, as the moon is not full, but we are under the truce all the same, so I and all of the other leaders expect today to be peaceful and quiet. That means," he added, with a stern look at a group of young MorningClan warriors, "no fighting, no violence- not even an argument." One of them ducks his head in embarrassment.

Goldenstar goes on, "Each Clan leader has picked a warrior to compete in the contest for the territory." He flicks his tail towards towards the group of cats in which Appleblossom stands. She feels a thrill of excitement go through her as she marvels once again in the fact that Russetstar had chosen her.

"Only the strongest, fastest, smartest cats could compete to represent their Clans," Goldenstar meows. "These are the six cats that will be in the competition. Whiteshadow, from StormClan, Berrywhisker of CheetahClan, and Moonwing, from FireClan. Willowheart is from DoveClan, Appleblossom from SandClan, and finally, Ashfeather from my own Clan, MorningClan."

The crowd of gathered cats cheer for the competitors. Appleblossom purrs when she hears her littermate, Nightsong, yowling, "Go Appleblossom! You can win this thing! Do it for all of SandClan!"

Appleblossom looks back up at the Great Rock, where Featherstar has taken Goldenstar's place. "Thank you, Goldenstar," she meows. She fixes her blue gaze on the competitors. "I hope each and every cat will try their very hardest and compete fairly. Now..." She looks up at the sky, where the sun is slowly rising, and then back down at the crowd. "Let the competition begin!"

**********************************

The beginning of the competition seems to go by in a blur for Appleblossom. She remembers Russetstar saying to her, "Go on, just take your best shot at it. If you lose, all of SandClan loses, but no pressure, okay?" and Nightsong cheering as Appleblossom battles- claws retracted, of course- against another cat. Then she is alone for a while as she hunts, ending up catching three rabbits and a plump mouse. As soon as that is over, she moves straight on to climbing- she makes it halfway up the tree and then panics and leaps down. There are other competitions, but everything went by so quickly that Appleblossom barely remembers them.

Finally, there is a race. It's the last competition, and and the sun has almost set. Appleblossom looks anxiously at the darkening sky as Spottedstar meows, "All right, you should all know how this goes, but I'm going to explain it anyway. In between these two bushes here is the start. You have to get to the finish, which is the tall maple tree that marks the border between DoveClan's and CheetahClan's territory. The first one to get all the way across DoveClan's territory, following the edge of the gorge, and touch the tree wins. Each of you were good at some things and bad at some things, but when you put everything together you're all about even. That means that the winner of this race is the winner of the entire competition."

Appleblossom widens her eyes in surprise. _I still have a chance to win this!_ She narrows them again in determination. She has to win this. For Russetstar, for Nightsong, for all of SandClan. She couldn't let them down.

"I'm going to count to three," Spottedstar announces, stepping back. "When I get to three, you go. One."

Appleblossom crouches down, her hind legs bunched up and ready to spring.

"Two."

She lifts her head and narrows her eyes, determined. The tip of her tail twitches.

"Three."

Appleblossom pushes hard on her back legs. She leaps forward and then hits the ground running, all four legs pumping and golden tail streaming out behind her. She is dimly aware of a cat at her side and another one a few cat-lengths in front of her. Appleblossom focuses all of her energy on willing her legs forward so she's soon neck-and-neck with the lead cat. She registers it as Ashfeather, the MorningClan warrior. Appleblossom narrows her eyes, fighting against the wind to get in front. She's almost there, and then with a sudden burst of speed, Appleblossom has taken the lead.

With Ashfeather at her heels and the other cats far behind, the reddish brown she-cat pelts towards the ever-approaching CheetahClan border. She glances out at the edge of the gorge that creates the border between DoveClan and SandClan. The sun reflects off of the water far below, creating a sparkling pattern on the walls of the gorge.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shoots through Appleblossom's hind leg, making her stumble and fall. With a feeling of panic, she quickly inspects the paw; one of her claws had gotten hooked on a pebble and had been ripped out. A trickle of blood ran from the wound, but Appleblossom ignores the pain and tries to stand up; she manages to stumble to her paws but collapses again, her leg burning.

With a pang of fright, she realizes how close she had gotten to the gorge. She tries to push herself away, but her hind legs slip over the edge. Appleblossom yowls in fright as the ground beneath her begins to crumble. She sinks her claws deep into the ground, kicking frantically. By now, Ashfeather had gotten ahead, but Appleblossom didn't care any more. _StarClan save me!_ she thinks wildly. _Please!_

Her green eyes are wide with terror as she tries desperately to climb back onto solid ground. Pebbles fly off of the edge as she struggles, accidentally hitting them. She hears them hit the water a few seconds later. Just as Appleblossom thinks, _I can't hold on!_, she feels teeth meet in her scruff.

Appleblossom looks up as well as she can into a pair of dark blue eyes and a gray face. "Ashfeather?" she breathes. "But I thought you had gone on to the finish!"

"I saw you as I passed," she meows gruffly through her mouthful of fur. "I couldn't just watch an innocent cat die." Ashfeather pulls as hard as she could on Appleblossom, hauling her up. More rocks plummet into the water below.

Appleblossom's claws scrape on the side of the gorge as she scrabbles to get up. She pushes up hard, and then suddenly she's safe on the side.

She widens her eyes, trying to catch her breath and make sense of what just happened. "Thank you," she breaths. She turns around to look at Ashfeather, but the MorningClan she-cat is no where in sight.

With a gasp of horror, Appleblossom spots a pair of gray paws scrabbling frantically at the edge. She rushes forward, but she's too late. A loud yowl echoes around the gorge as Ashfeather plummets to the bottom.

Appleblossom peeks over the edge just in time to see the MorningClan warrior hit the surface of the water with a huge splash. She desperatly searches the foaming waters, but there is no sign of a head popping up in the water, no sign of her paddling to shore, no sign whatsoever that a cat had fallen in at all.

"No!" Appleblossom cries. _This is all my fault! If I hadn't slipped..._ She suddenly remembers the contest. Casting a miserable glance at the edge of the gorge, she limps towards the tree. It wasn't that far away, but it was still far enough that the leaders probably didn't see Ashfeather fall. _There's nothing that anyone can do for her now..._

Trapped in her own horrible thoughts, she doesn't realize how fast she was going until the tree was in front of her. She brushes it with her tail half-heartedly. Her paw has begun to sting again.

As the sounds of the other cats approaching becomes clearer, Russetstar comes rushing up to her. "SandClan has won!" she cries happily. "I knew it! But what happened to your paw?"

"Doesn't matter," Appleblossom mumbles. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Willowheart run up, spot Appleblossom, and then hang her head in dismay. The rest of the cats show up within a few minutes. Appleblossom has to hold back a wail of misery when she sees Goldenstar, the MorningClan leader, searching around for Ashfeather.

"Everyone, be quiet! It's time to award the territory to the winning Clan," Featherstar calls, with a hint of disapointment in her voice.

Russetstar pushes Appleblossom forward. "SandClan has won the contest!" the leader yowls triumphantly. "We will be claiming the territory promptly. Unless anyone wants to argue? Yes, we all agree that SandClan-"

"Wait," Appleblossom mumbles hollowly. "Wait," she says again, more clearly. Russetstar turns to look at her curiously. "I- I'm not the true winner. I wouldn't have won without- without Ashfeather."

"Ashfeather?" Goldenstar inturrupts. "Where is she? What do you know about her? What happened?"

"She..." Appleblossom closes her eyes, barely able to speak. She opened them again and looked at Goldenstar. "I was ahead. Ashfeather was right behind me. I stumbled and fell, and almost fell off the edge of the gorge." She takes a deep breath. "Just as I thought I was about to die, Ashfeather grabbed me and pulled me up. And then..."

"And then what?" Goldenstar urges softly. His amber eyes are full of concern.

"I turned around to thank her, and all I saw was her paws. I leapt forward, but... but I was too late," she chokes out. "She... she fell." Appleblossom looks down at her paws. "I saw her hit the bottom. Her head went under, and then... she never came back up. I'm so sorry. This is my fault." She looks up at the leaders. "If Ashfeather hadn't come to my aid, I'd be dead right now."

"Ashfeather is... dead?" Goldenstar asks hollowly, as if he didn't believe her. "She's... she's gone? She's really just... gone?"

"I'm so sorry," Appleblossom whispers again. "She hunts with StarClan now."

Goldenstar lets out a wail. "Ashfeather..." he murmurs. He fixes his eyes on Appleblossom. She flinches, sure that the MorningClan leader is furious at her. "No, I'm not mad," he meows, noticing her nervousness. "Ashfeather died like a true warrior- saving another cat's life, even when that cat wasn't from her own Clan."

"The contest is now over, then," Featherstar meows, after a long pause. "SandClan will take the territory."

"Wait," Appleblossom meows again. "I wouldn't have won if Ashfeather hadn't helped me. She would have been the true winner of this contest. So that's why I suggest... MorningClan should have the territory. In honor of Ashfeather."

"Are you crazy?" Russetstar hisses in her ears. "SandClan won! We're taking that territory!"

"I told you- Ashfeather would have won," Appleblossom insists. "It was only because of her kind heart that she died, and that doesn't seem fair, does it? Besides, if SandClan was going to win, it would be because we won fair and square, not because a warrior from a different Clan gave her life to save me."

Russetstar opens her mouth to retort, but closes it again with a sigh. "I guess you're right. I'd rather not win at all then to win because a cat was killed." She looks at Goldenstar and the other leaders and raises her voice. "SandClan has decided to give the territory to MorningClan."

Goldenstar looks stunned. "Thank you, Russetstar," he meows kindly. "MorningClan is in your debt." He looks up at the sky. "I'm going to miss you, Ashfeather," he whispers quietly. Then he jumps down from the rock he was standing on. "Come, MorningClan," Goldenstar meows. The cats of his Clan follow him as he pads off towards the MorningClan territory, his head low.

Appleblossom watches them leave, and then she too looks up at the sky, searching the slowly-appearing stars. "I'm sorry, Ashfeather," she whispers.

And as she heads home with her Clan, thoughts swirling through her mind, she could have sworn she heard a soft voice whisper in her ear.

_"I forgive you."_


	8. Creativity

The sun blazed down on Mint's ginger pelt, making her uncomfortably hot as she padded along. To her left, a small black she-cat trotted, the sun shining down on her pelt just the same. She seemed perfectly cheerful, though.

"Aren't you hot, Key?" Mint panted. "I'm about to die of heat."

"I'm used to the sunshine," Key replied, her green eyes gleaming. "Besides, it's not that hot. You exaggerate a lot. Oh, don't look at me like that," she added, as Mint stared at her incredulously. "I'm not the only one. King doesn't look hot at all."

Mint glanced over at the golden tom. He was quiet and his pace was regular, but Mint noticed the exhausted look in his eyes and the sound of his gasping breaths. "Are you hot, King?"

"No," he wheezed. "I'm tough. I don't get hot." King panted, gasping for air. Key and Mint had to stifle amused purrs.

"You liar!" screeched Key.

King growled playfully at the black she-cat. He crouched down and then pounced on her; she was totally unprepared for his attack, and tumbled to the ground under his weight. The two cats tussled around in the warm grass. After a few seconds, they both rolled over on their backs, panting. Key's eyes gleamed.

"You look like you're having fun."

Mint whipped her head around as a voice sounded behind her. A black cat stood watching the three loners curiously. She was sure he hadn't been there a second ago.

"Who are you?" Mint asked cautiously, her yellow eyes narrowed. "And where did you come from? You weren't there last time I looked."

"My name is Shadowcaster," the tom replied calmly. "And I have many StarClan-given... gifts, in a way."

"What do you mean?" Mint demanded sharply, unnerved by the strange cat. "Gifts?"

"Skills. Abilities," Shadowcaster meows with a flick of his tail. "Powers."

King snorted. "You expect us to believe that you have magical powers? Those are kits' stories. They don't exist."

"Oh, but they do, my friend. They are very much real. I possess many powers, almost anything you can possibly think of. My father was the medicine cat in a Clan, and StarClan gifted him with powers. Those powers were passed down to me."

"Prove it," King meows stubbornly. "I won't believe it until I see it."

"But will you still believe it, even if you don't see it?"

Shadowcaster's voice seemed to come from right behind Mint, and she jumped. She turned around in a whole circle, but the mysterious black tom had vanished.

Suddenly, a pair of amber eyes materialized in the middle of the air. Mint screeched in terror before she could stop herself.

As the rest of Shadowcaster came into view, King's mouth dropped open. "But- but how?"

Shadowcaster grinned. "I told you- powers. I can disappear, reappear, transport, and much more at will- easier than flicking my tail."

"I bet that's a ton of fun!" Key exclaimed. "I wish I knew what it was like."

"Oh, you do, do you? I can arrange that." At looks of astonishment from the three loners, Shadowcaster purred. "I am able to give others powers, as well as use them for myself. I'll let each of you have one power- no more. Go on, pick whatever you want- be creative, I can do almost everything."

"Like- right now?" Key asked quietly, her eyes wide. "Really?"

Shadowcaster nodded. "Of course, my dear. Any power you wish, but only one."

"Can I go first?" King asked excitedly. When the black tom nods again, he meowed, "I want to be able to disappear and reappear like that, like you did. It looked really cool."

The black tom stepped forward. "All right, that's an easy one. Touch your nose to mine."

King looked nervous, and then took a step forward. His large nose met Shadowcaster's sleek black one. A bolt of energy seemed to run through him, but King didn't even flinch. Slowly, his golden form faded away.

"Woah," Mint whispered. "King? Where are you?" She couldn't see him, obviously, but she could still smell him. His scent was strong in the air, but Mint couldn't pinpoint an exact location.

"Boo!"

Mint practically jumped out of her fur as the booming voice of King screeched behind her. She whipped around to face him- or, at least, face where she thought he was.

"Don't do that!" she cried, although inside she was relieved to have found him. Slowly but surely, his outline became visible, and then, all of a sudden, he was fully visible, sitting right next to her.

"That was fun!" was all he said. Mint flicked him with her tail.

"Ooh, me next!" Key exclaimed, running up to Shadowcaster. "I want to be able to run really, really fast. Please."

"Right away!" Shadowcaster purred. He lowered his head and touched noses with Key. The same shock seemed to run through her, but Key's eyes were wide with excitement. She didn't seem to have noticed.

Shadowcaster stepped back, and Key blinked. "That's it? I didn't feel anything!"

"Try it," the black tom invited. "Run over to that tree over there, and then come back."

Key bunched her muscles and pushed forward. To Mint, she appeared only as a blur, streaking towards the tree. She stopped for a split-second, and Mint made out Key's shape, and then she was back, standing next to Mint with her eyes wide.

"Woah," Key exclaimed. "That was amazing! That wasn't even as fast as I could go!"

Shadowcaster turned to Mint. "Your turn," he meowed.

Mint took a step back, startled. She had been so amazed by her friends' new powers that she hadn't given a single thought for what she wanted. "Could I think about it for a little while?" she inquired.

"Of course!" Shadowcaster meowed. "No rush. You know what..." He looked up at the sky, where the sun was as high as it could get. "Meet me here at sunset. That will give you plenty of time, yes?"

"Okay," Mint replied, relieved. "Sunset it is. Thank you."

Shadowcaster dipped his head to her. "No problem." His amber gaze rested on her for a heartbeat, and then he lowered his head again. "Sunset," the black tom repeated. Without meeting any of their gazes again, he faded away. Mint stared at the spot where he had been a second ago with a shiver. She didn't think she could ever get used to that.

"Come on," she meowed. "Let's go home."

**********************************

Mint flopped down in her nest. She stared out of the entrance to the den and into the forest, where Key was racing from tree to tree, and King was pushing things around while invisible. Mint sighed as she was once again reminded of the fact that she needed to decide.

Both Key and King had offered advice to Mint, but she turned down each suggestion. She had a feeling that there was something she had always wanted, something that she had wished for many times. She couldn't place the feeling, though.

Mint stood up and stretched. She padded out of the den. "I'm going for a walk," she called. "I'll be right back." She didn't wait to see if her friends heard her; she was already gone. Her paws automatically took her to her favorite spot near the den- Mint didn't realize where she was going until she was there.

She sighed peacefully as she sat down on a flat, sun-warmed rock and gazed out at her surroundings. The rock she sat on, which she called the Sunrock, was located a few cat-lengths from the edge of a wide canyon. The canyon was not very deep, but it was wide, and went on for a while. The sun bathed it a golden orange, and a deep blue river snaked across the bottom of it.

Mint rested her head on her paws and sighed again. She glanced towards the sky as a hawk's cry rang out. Just a brown dot in the sky, it soared over the canyon, screeching occasionally, not bothering Mint at all. Hawks and other large birds of prey were common here.

She watched a young, golden-feathered bird fluttering its wings. Perching at the edge of a well-built nest that sat in a tree overlooking the canyon, the bird ruffled its feathers, and then hopped off of the nest.

Mint gasped as it fell freely for a few fox-lengths, flapping frantically, but then it spread its wings wide. Catching the soft breeze, the small golden bird soared up into the air for the first time, over Mint's head. She breathed a small sigh of relief as it circled above her, singing cheerfully.

The ginger-furred she-cat purred as she rested in the sunlight, watching the birds glide and dive, fluttering their wings and chirping. Their forms were just small shadows against the setting sun.

Wait- setting sun?

Mint leapt up with a start. Sunset! How had sunset come so quickly? She hadn't given one thought on what she wanted since she came to the Sunrock. She had been distracted, watching the birds fly...

Mint's eyes widened suddenly as she realized what she had wanted all along.

**********************************

When Mint, Key, and King arrived back at the meeting place, Shadowcaster was already there, waiting, invisible. He quickly reappeared when he saw them coming. "Am I correct to assume you've made your decision?" he asked Mint.

She nodded. "Yes." She stepped forward and whispered her request in Shadowcaster's ear.

He blinked approvingly. "Good choice. Not many pick that one, but it is one of the most astounding."

Shadowcaster stepped forward. He must have touched noses with Mint, but she was too excited to notice anything until she registered a tingling on her back. She turned her head as well as she could to see a small patch of fur just behind each of her shoulders. The ginger tabby fur was growing extremely quickly, sticking up. Mint gasped in amazement as she realized the rapidly expanding fur wasn't fur. It was... feathers.

"Mint!" Key gasped. "You have... wings!"

**********************************

Mint gazed at the quickly darkening canyon. She stood on the edge, her muscles tense with excitement and nervousness. Sure enough, Shadowcaster had fulfilled her wish, and that was why she was here now, about to test her brand-new wings. They were beautiful, with scarlet feathers and golden speckles.

Mint was as close as she possibly could get to the edge of the canyon. A step further, and she would have fallen in. A chill breeze swept past, and she shivered.

Key and King watched, amazed, from just behind her as she spread her wings wide. Somehow she knew what to do- how to move them, the way she needed to hold them- it all felt almost natural, as if she'd had wings he whole life.

Putting all of her trust in her wings, she took a deep breath and leapt off of the edge.

Then she was falling.

Mint didn't quite register the fact until she had plummeted down for a full five seconds. The ground came rushing up at her. Key's screech of terror rang in her ears. Panicking, Mint flapped her wings frantically, which slowed her a little, but not enough to fly.

An image of the small golden bird that she had seen earlier popped into he mind. Hoping desperately that this would work, Mint fully extended her wings. All of a sudden, she stopped falling. Mint's wings caught the breeze, lifting her up. Blood roared in her ears.

She let out a cry of happiness, as she realized fully what she had just done.

Mint was flying.


	9. Flash

Cliffstar sighed. He looked anxiously up at the sky, where ever-darkening clouds were gathering. "We should find shelter soon," he murmured.

"A storm is about to start, but we're in the middle of nowhere!" Ivywhisker, his mate, growled. "Not a tree, rock, or bush in sight. Has StarClan forsaken us?"

"Relax, Ivywhisker," Cliffstar replied calmly. "It's just a little storm. And even if we did find a tree or a bush, how would it possibly shelter the whole of MountainClan?"

Ivywhisker sighed. "You're right, I know, but Blossomkit won't take kindly to getting soaked." She glanced over at the tiny tortoiseshell kit- the last of Cliffstar and Ivywhisker's litter, and the only kit currently in the Clan. Her normally bright eyes were dull with exhaustion. She had been like this ever since MountainClan started traveling to their new home- a pack of dogs had moved into their old one, and the cats had no choice but to leave.

"We should keep going," Ivywhisker meowed. "Maybe we'll find some shelter before the storm hits." She gently picked up Blossomkit's scruff with her teeth. The tiny kit swung limply from her jaws, closing her eyes.

"We have to keep moving!" Cliffstar called over the rumbling of approaching thunder.

Frostflower, MountainClan's deputy, turned to look at Cliffstar. "The clouds are heavy with rain," she reported. "A full thunderstorm is about to begin!"

Nervous whispers spread through MountainClan.

"A storm?"

"There's nowhere to hide!"

"We're just going to have to get wet."

"Quiet," ordered Cliffstar gently. "There's no need to panic. If we get wet, then we get wet. It doesn't matter."

The Clan fell silent, although everyone still looked nervous. Blossomkit's eyes were wide with complete terror as she hung in her mother's grasp.

Just then, the first drops of rain started to fall.

"Run!" Ivywhisker screeched.

"Where to?" another cat cried.

"Over there!" Frostflower called. "In the distance! There's an outcropping of rocks- we can probably shelter under them!"

Ivywhisker pelted towards the gray shapes far on the horizon, Blossomkit swinging wildly in her jaws and mewling in protest.

"Go! Head towards those rocks! As fast as you can!" Cliffstar yowled as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky and thunder crashed. "It isn't safe out here!"

Apprentices and warriors alike ran at full speed. Even Pinetooth, the last surviving elder, was surprisingly keeping pace with them. Ivywhisker had the lead; even from a distance Cliffstar could hear Blossomkit's screeches of terror.

"Go! Go!" the MountainClan leader cried over the thunder. "Run!"

Just as he thought, _We're almost there!_, a flash of lightning streaked down, and the world around Cliffstar erupted in light and flame.

Blinding pain exploded in his whole body. All he could see was excruciating brightness. There was a horrible, blood-curdling screech; Cliffstar dimly realized it had come from him. His paws collapsed out from under him. A horrible burst of thunder crashed seemingly right above his head.

And then everything went dark.

* * *

Ivywhisker didn't hear the lightning hit.

But she heard the scream. A horribly familiar cry of agony.

_Cliffstar!_

Ivywhisker stopped dead in her tracks and whipped around, her paws sliding on the now rain-soaked ground. She dropped Blossomkit in shock. Cliffstar was limp on the ground while thunder crashed above.

"Cliffstar!" she screeched, already racing towards him. For a moment, she forgot all about the thunder, and the lightning, and the pouring rain, and the rest of MountainClan, and even forgot about Blossomkit. All that mattered was that Cliffstar- her wonderful mate and leader of her Clan- was limp on the ground, his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open in the cry of pain that had possibly been his last words- even if he hadn't said any words.

Ivywhisker now stood over his lifeless body. "Cliffstar?" she whispered. "Cliffstar!" Her words became a yowl of misery that carried across the flat wasteland in which all of MountainClan stood. She collapsed at his side as the full truth dawned on her-

Cliffstar was dead.

"Ivywhisker..." Frostflower came up behind her. "We have to keep going," she meowed gently. "There's nothing we can do now for him. We have to get out of the storm."

"That was his last life," Ivywhisker meowed hollowly. "His last life..."

"I know," the deputy replied softly. "I'm so sorry. But we have to move."

Ivywhisker became aware of the sound of thunder crashing and noticed the smaller lightning arching across the sky. The earth itself rumbled softly. Slowly, numb with shock, Ivywhisker picked herself up and trudged after the deputy, following the path that the other cats had taken. She could see them now- hiding under the rocky shelter, their eyes wide and horrified expressions on their faces.

Ivywhisker ducked under a ledge and sank to the ground, her paws numb as she stared, uncomprehendingly, at the sodden lump of fur that was Cliffstar. Her vision grew fuzzy, and she was dimly aware of Frostflower at her side, saying gently, "Try to get some rest, okay? It will make you feel better."

But Ivywhisker knew there was no way she could fall asleep. She laid there, staring at nothing, her eyes dull and unfocused in grief.

"Cliffstar..." she murmured once again. "I love you..."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a lush meadow deep in StarClan, two former MountainClan cats discussed the future of their Clan.

The she-cat sighed. "This wasn't what we intended. This wasn't supposed to happen."

"I know, Petalfern," replied her companion wearily. "But right now, there's nothing we can do. The lightning was an accident- no cat saw it coming. Cliffstar is on his way here, and we can't stop him."

"But we must have some power over death, Hawkfeather!" Petalfern cried, staring the tom in the eyes. "Cliffstar was supposed to lead MountainClan to their new home, remember?" She dropped her gaze. "Maybe they should have stayed in the old territory..."

Hawkfeather looked shocked. "Petalfern! I would have thought that you, of all cats, would know the danger of staying. Even more cats would have died-"

"I know, I know," inturrupted Petalfern quietly. "Yes, I haven't been a member of StarClan for long, but even _I_ know that we can't allow Cliffstar to enter StarClan. Isn't there some way to let him back into the world of the living?"

"Well..." The former deputy hesitated. "There is one way... we could grant him a tenth life, to lead his Clan with."

Petalfern's eyes gleamed. "Well, give him a tenth life, then! He needs it! MountainClan needs it!"

"But it would mess up the balance of everything!" Hawkfeather protested. "Every cat has only one life, but leaders get nine- no more, no less."

"So you're going to let MountainClan wander around without a leader or a real idea of where they're going?" she challenged angrily. "You're just going to let Cliffstar die?"

"He's already dead!" Hawkfeather hissed, although he looked taken aback by the she-cat's sudden attack. Petalfern bristled, a low growl emerging from the depths of her throat.

"Stop it, both of you!"

Both StarClan cats turned their heads as a pale gray tom emerged from the mist a few fox-lengths away. His blue eyes were narrowed angrily.

"Sorry, Dewcloud," Petalfern mumbled, hanging her head as if she was a kit being scolded by its mother.

Hawkfeather dipped his head to the former medicine cat. "Dewcloud, Petalfern wants to-" he started, but Dewcloud inturrupted him.

"I know. I heard the whole thing."

"So now you can tell her that she's wrong, and we can't give Cliffstar another life," Hawkfeather meowed confidently.

"No," Dewcloud growled. "I agree with her."

Hawkfeather's eyes widened. "But- but-" he stammered, trying to find the right words.

Dewcloud glared at him, and the brown tabby tom fell silent.

"You- you do?" Petalfern asked cautiously.

Dewcloud nodded. "Cliffstar is the best leader that MountainClan has ever known. He wasn't intended to die yet."

"So, it's settled, then?" Petalfern asked. "Cliffstar will be granted another life?"

Dewcloud nodded.

Petalfern looked triumphant and cheerful.

Hawkfeather scowled.

* * *

Back in the meadow where the lightning hit, the storm had subsided, and now only a light drizzle fell. The body of the MountainClan leader was drenched, and his fur was darkened from the heat of the lightning flash. As his former Clanmates slept under the rocks, not one cat was aware of the stirring deep in Cliffstar's body.

Slowly, steadily, his blood started flowing. His heart resumed pumping. His whiskers twitched. His lungs expanded as a gentle breath of air flowed through his nose.

And Cliffstar opened his eyes with a start.


	10. Puzzling Words

_Stars glowed in the dark night sky, shining brightly on the land below. A chill breeze swept across the ground, ruffling the thick gray fur of a cat sitting on the ground. Her blue eyes were wide with fear._

_Mist swirled around, making it hard to see. A faint feline shape formed in the air, appearing to be a cat walking forward. "Amberpath?" the first cat whispered._

_"Dustwhisker…" a voice murmured, seeming to come from everywhere at once._

_"Amberpath!" the she-cat gasped. A breeze swirled around her, and she flattened her ears back, the fur along her spine rising instinctively. The voice sounded again, loud and clear:_

_"Dustwhisker, beware the gleaming hawk's talons…"_

_The world around her began to dissolve. "No!" she cried, but already darkness enveloped her vision, and all was black._

Dustwhisker opened her eyes with a gasp, breathing hard. She blinked, and her surroundings came into view. She was back in her nest, in the StormClan medicine cat den.

Slowly, she stood up. The words of Amberpath were still fresh in her mind. Beware the gleaming hawk's talons… She must just mean to watch out for hawks. Amberpath had been Dustwhisker's mentor, and she had only died a few sunrises ago. A patrol found her with long claw marks down her shoulders and a gash in her throat. It appeared that she had been attacked by a hawk or other large bird of prey, and it had killed her.

Dustwhisker stretched. Now more awake, she made out the sound of heavy rain drumming on the roof of the cave. She padded towards the entrance, her jaws wide in a yawn.

She caught a dark shape out of the corner of her eye, crouched near the entrance of the den, and she took a step back, startled. The thing turned its head to look at her, and she realized with a sigh of relief that it was only a StormClan warrior. The warning of Amberpath fading away, she padded towards him.

As she came closer, Dustwhisker made out the brown tabby pelt and yellow-green eyes of Hawkclaw. He held one of his paws tentatively off of the ground. Hawkclaw was a relatively new warrior. He had been found a few moons ago by a patrol on the border, a young rogue with no home. StormClan took him in, and he was soon made a warrior.

Now Hawkclaw watched Dustwhisker as she sat down next to him. "What's wrong with your paw?" she asked. "Did you twist it?"

The tom shook his head. "I stepped on a thorn, I think. It hurts. I didn't want to disturb you, so I was waiting for you out here."

"In the rain?"

"No, there's a sort of shelter underneath these tall plants. I was waiting here," Hawkclaw replied.

Dustwhisker nodded. "Let me see your paw." Hawkclaw held it out, and she inspected it. "Yep, it's just a thorn." She bent over and grasped the thorn in her teeth, pulling it out in one swift movement. She spat it out into the bushes before turning to the dark brown warrior. "You know, you could have gotten it out yourself," she meowed, not unkindly. "All you have to do is grab it and pull."

"Sorry," Hawkclaw meowed meekly. "I wouldn't know it was that easy. My family never taught me how to take care of myself."

"And why is that?"

"My mother and only sibling died when I was only a few moons old. I've never met my father," came the reply.

Dustwhisker grunted sympathetically. She had never lost any family, but she could imagine what it felt like. Amberpath had been just like family. She felt a pang deep in her heart as she pictured once again her mentor's broken body, lying on the ground, motionless, lifeless.

"Thinking about Amberpath?" Hawkclaw guessed.

Dustwhisker nodded, her eyes fixed on the wet, mushy ground. She sighed, wishing Amberpath was here with her now. She couldn't be the only medicine cat! How was she supposed to take care of every cat in StormClan? She had only gotten her full name half a moon ago, for StarClan's sake!

"The look on your face alone almost makes me feel guilty," Hawkclaw remarked.

Dustwhisker nodded again, not really listening. Then she froze. "Wait.. what did you just say?" Her stormy blue eyes searched Hawkclaw's face. His green eyes gleamed, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards in a grin.

And suddenly it all clicked together. She felt stupid for not seeing it before.

_Hawk's talons… beware… gleaming… Hawkclaw…. Amberpath…_

"You!" Dustwhisker gasped. "You killed my mentor!"

The brown tabby's eyes narrowed cruelly. "Finally caught on, have you? I can't believe that nobody even looked closely at the body. She put up quite a fight, but…" He lifted up one paw and inspected the razor sharp claws almost lazily. "She was no match for me, in the end."

Dustwhisker's mouth had gone dry. "W- why?" she managed.

Hawkclaw glared at her. "Remember, I said my mother died when I was a kit? She was murdered. By a StormClan patrol. They were chasing us. She focused so much on getting my sister and I to safety that she didn't see the crevice in the earth until it was too late. She fell, and my sister slipped in after her." He shook his head, a haunted look in his eyes. "I survived. I lived alone for moons, thinking of nothing but StormClan. And when you found me on the border and said I could join, I saw my chance." A low growl escaped his throat. "StormClan ruined my life. I will not rest until every last StormClan cat is dead. Your pathetic little Clan will not survive without a medicine cat. I killed Amberpath, and now I am going to kill you."

While Dustwhisker was still frozen in shock, Hawkclaw leapt. His paws met her shoulders and she tumbled backwards. Within a second he was above her, pinning her down to the stony ground.

"I want your last thought in life to be this: I am going to attack and kill every one of your Clanmates. Every last one," Hawkclaw growled. "Goodbye, Dustwhisker. Have fun in StarClan, or whatever you call it. Say hi to Amberpath for me."

It was the name of her mentor that broke Dustwhisker out of her stupor. Rage like she had never felt before surged through her veins. With a battle cry, she ducked and twisted out of Hawkclaw's grasp just as he lunged. She didn't even stop to look at the brown tom before she was on top of him, sinking her claws into his shoulders, feeling the rip of flesh beneath her paws. But an instant later he was gone. She caught sight of his bushy brown tail streaming out behind him as he fled the den.

"What's going on?" a voice demanded. Dustwhisker dimly recognized Breezefur, the StormClan deputy. He stood near the entrance, his pelt soaked by the rain.

"Hawkclaw killed Amberpath!" she managed to yowl as she shot past him, pursuing the traitorous ex-warrior. He would be exiled for this, Dustwhisker was certain, but he wasn't worthy of exile. Hawkclaw didn't deserve to live.

A fresh wave of fury surged through her, and she put on speed until she could have grabbed Hawkclaw's tail in her teeth.

"You… killed… Amberpath!" Dustwhisker cried. Hawkclaw glanced back at her, his green eyes wide with… terror? His plan hadn't ended as well as he'd hoped.

Dustwhisker's muscles were aching, but she couldn't let herself stop. She couldn't let Hawkclaw get away. The rain still fell, lighter now, but her pelt was soaked to the skin.

She spotted the movement of something out of the corner of her eye. She allowed her gaze to leave Hawkclaw for a second, and she saw that it was only a leaf, drifting down towards the ground. But it didn't hit the ground. It looked like it just… disappeared. She realized that there was a gaping crevice in the ground, only a few fox-lengths away.

Dustwhisker's paws slipped on the wet leaves as she skidded to a stop, breathing heavily. She managed to stop just a few cat-lengths from the drop. Everything seemed to move in slow-motion. She had no time to even cry out a warning.

She saw Hawkclaw's ears flatten back in terror as he too saw the gap looming before them. Little water droplets flew everywhere as he leaned back, his paws skidding dangerously close to the edge, clawing at the ground, doing anything to prevent him from flying into the gap.

But Hawkclaw wasn't as lucky as Dustwhisker had been.

A dreadful wail of complete terror escaped his throat as the ground beneath him disappeared. He twisted in mid-air, trying to find something to hold on to, something to stop his fall. His claws caught the edge of the crevice but the wet earth crumbled beneath his weight.

Dustwhisker gasped in horror as the brown tabby tom plummeted to the ground, many fox-lengths below. His limbs flailed wildly, but there was no hope for him. Hawkclaw fell only for a second before he hit the bottom with a sickening thud.

Dustwhisker gazed down at his motionless body. She expected any second for him to jump up, shaking his head, and attempt to start climbing, but he was still. Deathly still.

She took a step backwards, shock numbing her senses. _Hawkclaw is dead_. The truth hit her, loud and clear. She should have been happy, since only a second ago she had wanted to pin him down and sink her teeth into his throat until his screeches faded away…

But now Dustwhisker saw that she didn't really want him dead. She hadn't been thinking straight in her rage. She wouldn't really kill a cat… would she? _It doesn't matter now_, she told herself. _Hawkclaw's… dead. He killed Amberpath, but now he's dead._ She couldn't bring herself to feel sad; she still despised the tom, dead or alive. He was dead now, killed the same way his mother and sibling had been, his neck broken at the bottom of the crevice.

"Dustwhisker?" came a voice from behind her. The StormClan medicine cat turned around to see Froststar, with Breezefur right behind her. "What happened here?"

"Hawkclaw killed Amberpath," Dustwhisker explained, once she had found her voice. "I chased him out here… and he fell down there." She motioned with her head to the crack in the ground. "He's dead now, I believe."

Froststar nodded in understanding. "You were furious at him, correct?"

"Of course," Dustwhisker replied dully. "But… I wouldn't really have killed him."

"I know you wouldn't have," Froststar meowed reassuringly. She turned to Breezefur. "See if you can get some warriors together to retrieve the body. We can at least bury him; without a ceremony, but bury him nonetheless."

"No," Dustwhisker meowed quickly. "I mean… it's deep. Cats could get hurt trying to get down there, and then trying to get back up. We can leave him there."

Breezefur looked like he was about to argue, but Froststar flicked her tail. "No, Dustwhisker's right," she meowed. "We'll leave him there. He was never a true member of StormClan." Her voice was hinted with anger.

Breezefur dipped his head. "You should tell the rest of the Clan what has happened. Only a few heard that Hawkclaw killed Amberpath, but surely the news has spread throughout the Clan by now. I'm sure they will be satisfied to hear that he is dead. Amberpath was always well-liked."

Froststar nodded once again. She turned around and padded back towards the direction of the camp. Breezefur took his place beside her, and they began talking in low tones.

Dustwhisker sighed. She glanced up at the sky. The rain had stopped, and it was getting clearer. A few early stars had appeared in the dark, grayish-blue sky. A cold breeze swept through the forest, ruffling her fur. For a second, only a second, she felt the presence of Amberpath beside her.

_Thank you_, she whispered.

_No problem_, Dustwhisker thought back.

And as she headed back to camp, for the first time in almost a half-moon, she felt happy.


	11. Ill

Hello, there. My name is Talonswipe. I'm a warrior of FireClan, and I have a story to tell you.

But before I do, there are a few other things you need to know. Like I said before, I'm from FireClan. I was sent on a quest.

The Clan bordering us is called IceClan. A few moons ago, an IceClan elder named Palewhisker contracted a strange sickness. The medicine cat couldn't identify it, and no herb made it better. Palewhisker died a few sunrises later, without anyone figuring out what the sickness was or where it came from. The IceClan cats thought that she had maybe eaten a spoiled mouse or some sort of Twoleg poison, but no cat was sure of anything.

Almost half a moon later, an expecting queen got sick, with the same symptoms as Palewhisker. Her kits were born while she was ill, but both the queen and all four of her little newborn kits died.

The sickness spread like wildfire through IceClan. If a young kit or an elder got the sickness, they'd be dead in a quarter moon, at the most. Sometimes, a cat caught the sickness, but didn't show any symptoms. The illness was inside them, hidden. For a while, the healthy cats were separated from the sick cats, but many of the 'healthy' cats were not as healthy as they had imagined. Cats who had been hunting and patrolling in the morning, as healthy as can be, could be coughing weakly in a nest by sunset, burning with fever and limp with exhaustion, even if they hadn't been around an infected cat the whole day. They named this disease simply "The Illness".

Eventually, a young IceClan apprentice found a rare herb, growing near a river a little ways from their territory. He took lots of it back, and they found that it cured the Illness. But many cats had died, and IceClan had shrunk dramatically in size. Their leader had lost four lives. Still, the remaining cats managed to keep the Clan together.

But what does this have to do with me, you wonder? Why am I telling you the tale of IceClan, if I'm from FireClan? Well, after IceClan found the cure, everyone thought that the sickness was gone for good. Of course, FireClan had heard of the illness from IceClan at Gatherings, but the two Clan camps were so far apart that not a single FireClan cat had gotten sick.

But all of that changed in an instant. An instant that I will always remember very clearly.

I had just gotten back from a patrol, and I was sitting in the camp, picking at a squirrel. Valleystar, our leader, was sitting outside of his den. I turned my head as the entrance of the apprentice den quivered. Seedpaw, Valleystar's daughter, padded out, her head low. She walked up to her father, and lifted her head. I saw an exhausted look in her eyes.

"Daddy," Seedpaw whimpered quietly. "I don't feel good…" She looked like she was about to pass out. I stared at her, startled. What had happened?

Just then, Seedpaw moaned. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed in a heap.

Valleystar stared down at his daughter for a moment, shock clear in his eyes. Then he gasped, to no cat in particular, "Get Oakwhisker!"

I leapt to my paws and raced into the medicine cat den. "Oakwhisker! Come quick!" I cried.

The cream and brown she-cat looked up at me, alarmed. "What is it?"

"I don't know! Just come on!"

Oakwhisker followed me out to the clearing. She spotted Seedpaw's body limp on the ground and gasped. She ran to Seedpaw's side. After a few moments, Oakwhisker looked gravely up at Valleystar, and her next words, although whispered, were heard by the whole Clan.

"She has the Illness."

You could probably hear the gasp of shock that came from the mouths of the warriors from miles away. Valleystar immediately sent a patrol to IceClan, to see if they would give us some of the rare herb, since they didn't need it anymore. I was picked to go, along with Oakwhisker and Gorseclaw.

We set off at a run within minutes of Seedpaw's collapsing, racing towards the IceClan camp. It was far, though, and it took us a while to arrive. We met an IceClan hunting patrol about halfway to the camp; they stopped us with snarls, but escorted us to their camp once we explained that it was urgent. Oakwhisker talked to their medicine cat, Smallwing; I could see the look of horror on the IceClan medicine cat's face as Oakwhisker entreated her for the herb. Smallwing replied sadly that she didn't have any more. So Oakwhisker, Gorseclaw, and I, after directions from Smallwing, headed towards the river on the far edge of the territory. Smallwing wanted to come with us, but their leader told her to stay.

Finally, we stood on the edge of the swiftly-flowing river. Oakwhisker gazed longingly at the small, rocky island near the opposite bank. "How are we going to get over there?" she wondered.

Gorseclaw stared at the water. "No idea," he murmured. "How well can you guys swim?"

"Pretty well, although I doubt I could get across in these waters," Oakwhisker replied.

"Not at all," I admitted.

Gorseclaw sighed. "Then swimming to the island definitely isn't an option."

"How deep do you think the water is?" Oakwhisker asked. "Maybe we could wade across, if we could touch the bottom."

Gorseclaw shook his head. "Not a chance- the water's way too deep. We'd get washed away."

I padded up closer to the edge, gazing deep into the water. The clear, smooth water ran swiftly, murmuring softly as it flowed and splashing a bit as it hit… rocks? I crouched down, studying the river. Sure enough, a few large rocks sat in the river, their tops only a few inches from the surface of the water.

"Look!" I exclaimed excitedly. I bunched my muscles, preparing to leap. I pushed off of the ground and leapt, landing squarely on the first rock. My paws scrabbled a bit on the edge, but I stood my ground. "There are stepping-stones!"

"Genius, Talonswipe!" Gorseclaw called approvingly. "Just be careful. I'm sure the rocks are very slippery."

"Can you make it all the way to the island?" Oakwhisker asked.

"I think so," I replied. The next rock was only a pawstep away- I didn't have to jump. I leapt to the one after, and then slowly crawled along the skinny ones after that. Then, finally, I was standing on the island, where the bluish-green herb grew in abundance.

"Great job!" Oakwhisker meowed. "Grab plenty of the herb, and then hop back over here. We can all carry it back to the camp."

I dipped my head to her. "Got it." I dug up a large patch of the plant and gathered it up, holding it gently between my teeth. My jaw was stretched with the abundance of herb, but I was determined not to let it go.

I carefully stepped back onto the rocks, slowly inching my way back to shore. I stepped onto the last rock, so I had only one more leap and I would be on the shore.

I bunched my muscles and leapt. My hind paw twisted on the smooth rock and splashed into the water as I pushed off, resulting in a less-than-perfect leap. Very less-than-perfect, actually. More like nowhere-near-perfect.

I twisted awkwardly and fell into the cold water, the bunch of herb still held tightly in my jaws. I paddled my paws frantically, and managed to keep the herbs dry. My paws scrabbled at the edge of the rock, but I lost my grip and spun away from the rock. I heard Oakwhisker's cry of horror right before my head went under the water.

I gripped the herbs tightly in my jaws, my eyes shut. My legs flailed and my lungs burned as I struggled to figure out which way was up. My head broke the surface of the water, and I inhaled deeply through my nose, refusing to let go of the extremely important herbs.

I tumbled head over paws, spinning around in the water. My vision darkened, and I struggled to remain conscious. My senses dulled as my paddling got weaker.

I felt the pelt of some other creature next to me. It grabbed my scruff and started hauling me to shore. My paws scraped against the stones at the bottom, and then I was lying on the bank of the river. I coughed weakly, dropping the wet herbs on the stones.

Gorseclaw's face appeared, his eyes full of concern and his pelt dripping wet. "Talonswipe! Are you okay?"

I tried to answer, but my mouth wouldn't get the words out. I simply passed out on the smooth rocks of the river's edge.

And now we have reached the ending of the story. As soon as Gorseclaw saved me from the river, Oakwhisker grabbed the herbs and raced back to the FireClan camp. Gorseclaw, all dried off, and I, feeling much better, followed her a few hours later.

We arrived at the camp to find out that Seedpaw was sleeping comfortably in the medicine den. Luckily, the Illness hadn't spread to any other cats, and now the whole Clan was alive and well. Oakwhisker stored the remaining herbs in her den, safe and dry, just in case anyone ever got sick with the horrible disease.

Let's hope, for the sake of the Clans and every cat in them, that Oakwhisker never has to use them.


	12. Skeleton

"Look, here's another one."

Willowpaw glanced up at the sound of her mentor's worried voice. Windstreak was staring down at a muddy rabbit bone, half-buried in the swampy ground. Even without seeing it closely, she could make out the sharp scratch marks deeply embedded into the hard surface.

Littlefoot, another warrior of SplashClan, padded over, sharing the same expression as Windstreak. "What is doing this?" he murmured. "Any cat would bury the bones... there's no way this came from any Clan cat."

"It could have been a passing loner or rogue?" Windstreak offered.

Littlefoot shook his head, putting one paw on the bone. "Look at these claw marks. They're far too deep for any cat to have created."

Willowpaw flinched at the terrified look in Windstreak's amber eyes. She was so used to having him always be the one to go to in a crisis, and she realized with a start that she had never seen him looking even remotely afraid. But whatever had chewed up and left deep scratches in the bone by Windstreak's feet clearly had him frightened.

About a moon ago, a patrol had found a small pile of rabbit bones with broken edges and tooth marks all over. They had brought them back to camp and reported it to Swiftstar, but no cat paid it that much attention, assuming it was the work of some cat outside of SplashClan or some large animal- a fox or a badger, perhaps. But it was only a few days later that another patrol brought in a few larger bones, also with claw scratches and tooth markings. One of the bones was completely snapped in half, as if whoever or whatever had done this had been furious and taken its anger out on some poor animal somewhere.

Since then, more and more traces of whatever animal was doing this showed up. There were tens of rabbit and squirrel bones, and occasionally full mice skeletons or carcasses. The warriors of SplashClan had buried them, but there were no clues as to what sort of creature had left them there.

Two days ago, Snarepaw, the medicine cat apprentice, had gone out to collect herbs and hadn't come back, adding to the nervousness that hung in the camp like a cloud of smoke. Most of the warriors and queens had seemed optimistic, telling everyone that she couldn't have gone far. Snarepaw had been born with her left front paw twisted at an awkward angle, so the fastest she could go was a limping walk. But when another day went by with still no sign of the small silver she-cat, everyone's worry grew. Even the tiny kits in the nursery could tell that something was wrong.

Echoleaf, the medicine cat, had convinced Swiftstar to send a patrol out to look for her. Willowpaw, as Snarepaw's best friend, immediately volunteered to go. Windstreak and Littlefoot came as well.

Willowpaw padded anxiously over to Windstreak. "What- what if the creature caught Snarepaw, too?" she mewed nervously. "What if these are her bones?"

"These are too small to be her bones," Windstreak answered firmly. "They're definitely rabbit bones."

Willowpaw wanted to be relieved, but she had known that there was no way these were Snarepaw's bones. She had a horrible feeling deep inside her that Snarepaw was injured- or worse, _dead..._

She sighed, turning away from the two warriors to continue searching. "Oh, Snarepaw," she murmured. "Where are you?"

Willowpaw pushed aside a pile of dead leaves, scattering them across the ground, but nothing was hidden underneath. She peeked under bushes and in hollow logs and trees, but there was no sign of Snarepaw anywhere. She found a few more mouse or squirrel bones, all with scratches and tooth-marks, but nothing lead her to the medicine cat apprentice. Snarepaw's scent, although stale, still hung in the air, not strong enough for anyone to track it but just enough that Willowpaw knew she had been here. She sighed again, feeling hopeless.

She heard a sharp intake of breath from Littlefoot, a few fox-lengths away, and she turned her head quickly. "What is it?" she asked, half-dreading the answer. "Snarepaw?"

"I- I don't think so," Littlefoot meowed uncertainly. Willowpaw padded nervously over, afraid of what she might see. But when she stood at Littlefoot's side, looking down at the thing he had been staring at, she frowned.

"It's just a tuft of fur," she meowed, poking it with one paw. It was a clump of thick, dark gray fur, sleek and shiny. "It's not Snarepaw's- her fur is a lighter silver."

"It's not Snarepaw," Windstreak agreed, walking up to stand beside them. "It's not even cat fur. It's too long." He smelled it apprehensively. "I can't tell what it is, although it's vaguely familiar."

"Dog?" Willowpaw inquired nervously.

Windstreak shook his head. "It's too sleek. Dog fur is scruffier."

"Besides," Littlefoot added, "there have been dogs on SplashClan territory plenty of times before, and we would have recognized the scent."

Willowpaw sniffed it curiously and recoiled in disgust. "It's stinks!"

Windstreak's eyes sparkled with amusement, but the look quickly faded away as all three cats wondered what the fur had come from.

Willowpaw backed away, continuing her search. "Snarepaw?" she called. "Where are you?" Her eyes widened as a familiar scent hit her nose. "Snarepaw!"

She bounded forward, following the scent, which was much stronger now. Willowpaw spotted a slight lump in the leaves, curved upward. Her blood ran cold, and she dug into it, her claws sheathed as she pushed aside leaves and brushed away dirt and pebbles. She shoved a large clump of dead oak leaves over and gasped as she spotted pale, silvery-white tabby fur.

"Willowpaw?" Littlefoot's voice sounded nearby, and the leaves crackled as he padded over, but Willowpaw barely heard anything. "Is it- did you- Snarepaw?"

Willowpaw couldn't get herself to say a single word. She shoved aside the remaining leaves, hoping desperately that the fur wasn't Snarepaw's, that it just looked like her, that her smell was coming from somewhere else, _anywhere else..._

Another cluster of leaves was shoved to the side, revealing a paw. But not just any paw- this paw was twisted and bent, the toes sticking out at an awkward angle.

Just like Snarepaw's.

Willowpaw took a step backwards, her whole body numb with shock. Her heart seemed to stop.

"Willowpaw?" Windstreak padded up, his eyes widening as he caught sight of the thing in front of the black-and-gray apprentice.

Littlefoot hurried towards the mound of fur, pushing the rest of the leaves off and revealing Snarepaw's entire body, lying heavily on her side with limbs splayed. Her fur was slick with blood in some places, and the strange scent that no cat could identify hung around her.

"Is she...?" Windstreak didn't finish his sentence.

Littlefoot gently nosed the small she-cat, but she didn't move. Willowpaw saw the tom's gaze travel towards the back of Snarepaw's neck, and she gave a silent sob as her eyes took in the large wound there.

Littlefoot glanced at Willowpaw, a solemn expression on his face. "I'm so sorry, Willowpaw... Snarepaw's dead."

Willowpaw shook her head, suddenly finding the strength to speak. "She- she can't be dead. She can't be. She isn't." Everything seemed surreal, as if she were dreaming. There was no way Snarepaw could be dead. It just wasn't possible.

Willowpaw padded back up to the medicine cat apprentice's body. "Hey, Snarepaw," she meowed softly. "Come on, Snarepaw, we have to get back to camp." She gently nudged her best friend a few times. "Snarepaw, come on! Snarepaw! Please..." Snarepaw didn't respond, and Willowpaw sunk to the ground as she realized the truth, that this wasn't all just a dream, that she wasn't imagining it, that Snarepaw was really, truly _gone..._

Windstreak laid his tail gently on his apprentice's shoulders. "We have to get back to camp, Willowpaw," he meowed softly. "We can't help her now."

Willowpaw hung her head, knowing that it was the truth but reluctant to believe it.

Littlefoot ducked his head down to pick up Snarepaw by the scruff but paused, lifting his head up. His ears were pricked as he looked around.

Windstreak frowned. "What is it?"

"I thought I heard something," Littlefoot meowed. "Pawsteps, maybe?"

"Do you think it's that creature?" Willowpaw mewed nervously. "The- the one that killed Snarepaw?"

Littlefoot opened his mouth to answer but closed it again before saying anything, his eyes widening slightly. This time, Willowpaw could hear it too- the crackling of leaves, like a cat treading through the forest but louder, less graceful. The sound was clear, but it didn't seem to be that close.

Windstreak froze, staring off into the distance between the trees. "Look," he hissed.

Willowpaw followed his gaze, muscles tensed nervously. She caught sight of a flash of gray fur and the disgusting scent of the mystery animal filled the air.

Windstreak gasped softly. "Wolf," he whispered. "I should have known- it seems so obvious now."

"Wolf?" Littlefoot questioned, never taking his eyes off of the gray shape.

"One attacked the camp once, when I was only a kit," Windstreak answered nervously. "They're vicious, cruel, and big- like dogs but stronger."

Willowpaw watched the creature, hardly daring to breathe. The shaggy gray animal looked around, scenting the air, but it didn't seem to realize they were there. It snorted and padded away, heading towards the edge of the territory. It disappeared into a small cave, half-hidden by brambles and vines. "That must be its den," Willowpaw whispered.

"We have to get back to camp, _now_," Littlefoot meowed.

Windstreak nodded. "Grab Snarepaw. We have to warn everyone."

Littlefoot picked Snarepaw up by the scruff of her neck, and the three SplashClan cats headed back to the camp. Willowpaw's head hung low. They had found Snarepaw, but they couldn't save her... She knew that the silver she-cat had been dead long before they arrived, but she still couldn't help but feel guilty.

Lost in her thoughts, Willowpaw wasn't aware of any time passing until they had arrived at the camp and Echoleaf's voice rang in her ears.

"Oh, StarClan... is that Snarepaw?! Snarepaw!" The medicine cat rushed over and Littlefoot gently lowered Snarepaw to the ground. Echoleaf buried her nose in her apprentice's cold fur, eyes closed with grief.

"I'm so sorry..." Windstreak meowed gently. "She was dead when we found her."

Echosplash sniffed quietly, but said nothing. She slowly drew away from her apprentice's body, a miserable look in her eyes. Willowpaw looked away, the medicine cat's sadness too much for her.

"Do you know what killed her?" Swiftstar asked Windstreak quietly.

Willowpaw's mentor nodded. "It was a wolf."

Swiftstar's amber eyes widened. "There haven't been wolves in these woods for many moons. How many are there?"

"Just the one," Windstreak answered.

Swiftstar looked Windstreak in the eyes. "Do you think we could drive it away?"

"With the right amount of courage and determination, it would be easy," Windstreak meowed firmly.

The SplashClan leader nodded approvingly. "Good. We can organize a patrol right away, before this happens again." He motioned towards Snarepaw's unmoving body. Windstreak nodded grimly.

Swiftstar glanced around camp. "We need a patrol to out and drive away the wild creature that has killed our dear medicine cat apprentice," he announced. "I shall go, as well as Windstreak, Pricklefoot, Forestcreek, Tinywing, and-"

"I want to go," Willowpaw blurted out. "I- I mean- could I go? Please?"

Splashstar seemed surprised at the interruption, but he nodded. "Of course you may, Willowpaw." He looked around the assembled cats. "Let's go."

The patrol quickly headed out of camp, following the strong scent trail of the wolf. The cave that Willowpaw knew to be its den came into view. A low growl came from inside, and the sleek gray creature stalked out- it had seen them.

Willowpaw felt Tinywing stiffen at her side. She narrowed her eyes, staring furiously at the beast. She noticed dried blood around its muzzle- Snarepaw's blood, Willowpaw reailzed with a shudder.

With a cry of "For SplashClan!" Swiftstar leapt at the wolf, Windstreak right behind. Willowpaw felt a sense of satisfaction as the wolf yelped in pain.

She yowled furiously and trew herself into the fight, landing blow after blow, her own battle cry ringing in her mind.

_For you, Snarepaw!_


	13. Nothing

_"Here it comes! Run!"_

_Graystorm's yowl rings through the camp. A huge swarm of cats races for the exit of the camp, trying desperately to get away before the massive wave of water from the overflowing river hits, sweeping them away._

_Birchleaf glances back, his heart skipping a beat at the sight of the swiftly approaching water. He searches the crowd of FireClan cats. "Summerblaze!" he cries. "Where are you?"_

_"I'm right behind you, Birchleaf!" the golden tabby she-cat shouts, pelting away from the flood wave._

_Birchleaf focuses all his energy on pushing forward. Dustflower, one of the elders, stumbles just in front of him; Birchleaf nudges her to her paws, urging her to run. He glances back at the quickly-approaching wave again, hoping that everyone can get away in time. Although there are many streams and rivers on FireClan territory, not many of the cats know how to swim, and that burst of water has the potential to drown them all._

_With a tremendous _splash_, the water surges into the camp. Birchleaf's heart wrenches as he sees a few of the warriors in the back lifted up by the wave, their heads going under the water and limbs flailing wildly. More and more FireClan cats are pulled underwater as the flood catches up to them._

_"Birchleaf! He- aaah!" Summerblaze's screech is abruptly cut off as the wave crashes down on her, pushing her out of view._

_"Summerblaze!" Birchleaf roars. His paws skid on the mucky ground as he tries to go back, to do anything to save her, but he only has time to turn around before the water is upon him._

_Birchleaf paddles his paws wildly, unsure of which way is up and which is down. He struggles against the current, but is powerless in the raging water. Birchleaf's head collides painfully with something hard; his vision fades to black and he knows no more._

My eyes snapped open. Sitting up, I coughed violently a few times, spitting out some water. I shook my head gently a few times, trying to focus, and then looked around. I was sitting on a hard, smooth rock, surrounded by mushy, wet ground.

I gasped as I remembered the flood. _Summerblaze!_ I leapt to my paws, looking around desperately. "Summerblaze!" I cried loudly. "Summerblaze?"

I hurried away from the rock I was lying on, following the path of the flood. I couldn't smell anything or anyone- the water must have washed all the scents away. "Summerblaze?" I called again, hopelessness settling in my belly like a pile of rocks. "Graystorm? Frostblaze? Redstar? _Anyone_?" There was no sign of any FireClan cats- or any living things, for that matter- in sight. The forest was eerily quiet without the songs of bluebirds filling the air and the crunch of leaves underneath squirrels' paws. Broken tree branches littered the ground, and dead leaves and flowers were scattered around. The floodwater had left a trail of destruction in its wake.

"Summerblaze?" I tried one more time. As I had expected, there was no response. Feeling heavily discouraged, I sat down on the wet ground, my head low. _Where is everyone?_ I cried out in my head. _Are they hiding out somewhere, waiting to make sure the flood is really over? Are they okay?_ My heart seemed to leap into my throat. _What if the water drowned them all?_

My eyes widened as I realized that, most likely, that was the truth. The floodwater had roared through FireClan territory, destroying and killing anything and _anyone_ in its path.

There was nothing left.

I closed my eyes, feelings of complete hopelessness rising within me. _Summerblaze... Graystorm... Redstar... all of them... gone..._

I was all alone.

And I hated it.

I wandered around what was left of the territory for a while, flinching at the sight of the once-lush meadows that had been turned into giant mud puddles, sighing despairingly as I found soggy pieces of fresh-kill scattered on the ground, sobbing inwardly as I saw what had once been the warriors' den completely destroyed. Unable to look any more, I sat down on the ground.

_FireClan has been destroyed,_ I thought miserably. _And I'm the only one left._

I folded my front paws underneath my body and lay on the cold, soggy ground. A small, despairing sigh escaped my jaws. My muscles were aching, probably a result of trying to swim in the floodwater. My eyes started to slide closed, exhaustion taking over. But I couldn't fall asleep- the faces of cats I knew and loved kept appearing out of the darkness, their screeches of terror ringing in my ears. Summerblaze especially stayed in my mind- her soft voice, her pretty tabby fur, her sweet personality...

And I'd never see her again.

I could almost hear her voice in my mind, calling out my name. "Birchleaf? _Birchleaf!_" I frowned- her voice was getting louder. It almost sounded as if...

I snapped open my eyes and leapt to my paws. "Summerblaze!" I cried out. At first there was no response, and only the birds replied. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest as the voice that I had thought I'd never hear again answered my call.

"Birchleaf!"

My breath seemed to catch in my throat. I wasn't sure if this was real or if I was hallucinating.

But then a golden tabby she-cat, her eyes bright with glee, bounded towards me from in between the trees, and all doubts were swept from my mind.

"Summerblaze!" I cried, running towards her. I could hear her sweet purr, her whole body vibrating with the intensity of her joy. I rubbed my head against hers, giving her ear a loving lick.

"But- but I thought you were dead!" I exclaimed, once I had found my voice.

"So did I," my love replied sadly. "I thought you had drowned and I was never going to see you again..." I could feel her body shaking slightly as she rubbed up against me.

"If you had died I don't think I would have been able to keep living," I meowed softly. "Life is pointless when you're not in it." Her beautiful green eyes met mine. "I love you so much, Summerblaze."

"I love you too," she purred.

A happy sigh escaped my mouth. Summerblaze was okay! She had _survived_, and we could be together forever...

"Have you seen any signs of the others?" I asked. "Redstar, Dustflower, Graystorm...?"

A haunted look crept into her eyes. "I found them," she meowed hollowly. "Almost all of them. It- it was horrible. Every last one had drowned. I- I thought I was the only survivor, but when I couldn't find your body, I thought maybe, just _maybe_... there was a chance. And then I found you, and oh, Birchleaf..."

"It's okay," I mewed soothingly. "We survived, and we can keep the memory of FireClan going. We'll tell everyone we can find about it, and maybe we could create a new FireClan, born from the ashes of the old one."

Summerblaze looked up at me. "It wouldn't be the same."

"I know, but it's the best we've got. We can tell our kits all about FireClan, and raise them just as we would have if the flood hadn't come." My voice softened. "The territory can be destroyed, everyone can be wiped out, but we'll always be FireClan cats at heart."

Summerblaze nodded. "FireClan forever," she echoed. "Nothing can change that."

I licked my mate's cheek comfortingly, and she curled against me, starting to purr again. Her words echoed in my mind.

_FireClan forever. No matter what._

**********************************

_Eight moons later..._

"Come _on_, Firekit! Why do you have to be so lazy all the time! Splashkit and I were awake _ages_ ago!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," the small ginger tom mumbled, blinking open his eyes. He yawned and stumbled to his paws.

Redkit's paws pattered against the leaf-strewn ground as she bounded around her brother. "Let's go play mossball!" she squeaked excitedly, happy that Firekit had finally gotten out of his nest. "Or we can explore! Or we can-"

"I thought daddy was gonna tell us a story today," Firekit meowed, yawning again.

I groaned inwardly, although I had to struggle to keep my whiskers from twitching up in amusement. As I had expected, only seconds after Firekit had spoken, the hurried pawsteps of three clumsy kits reached my ears. Pretending to be asleep, I stayed perfectly still, even as Splashkit did a flying leap onto my head.

"Wake up, dad!" he meowed excitedly. "Come on, get up!"

Firekit and Redkit echoed their brother's meow, bouncing around me. Giving in, I parted my jaws in a colossal yawn and stood up. "Oh, hello, kits. What are you up to?"

"You said you were going to tell us a story!" Firekit reminded me.

"Yeah, you promised!" added Splashkit.

An amused purr came from the cat at my side. "You can't break your promises, Birchleaf," Summerblaze meowed, her eyes bright.

"Come on, tell us a story!"

"Please?"

"Pretty pleeeeaaaassseeee?"

"All right, all right, I'll tell you a story," I consented. All three kits cheered. "But you have to promise to be quiet and listen."

Firekit, Redkit, and Splashkit nodded excitedly. "Is it a happy story?" Firekit squeaked.

I exchanged a glance with Summerblaze. "It starts out sad, but yes, it has a happy ending."

My mate at my side and my three kits gathered eagerly, around my paws, I began my story.

"Once, there was a group of cats called FireClan..."


	14. Servitude

"You! Get me something to eat!"

Hawk's commanding voice rang out through the clearing. Mistyhollow blinked her sightless blue eyes and padded obligingly over to the small pile of prey in the corner and picked up a plump mouse. She dropped it in front of the tom and backed away, growling inwardly. It had been many moons since Hawk had taken over her Clan, making her his personal servant, and still he didn't know her name. Mistyhollow was always referred to as "you" or "cat".

The former SpiritClan warrior sighed wistfully to herself as she heard Hawk tear into the small animal she had brought him, licking his lips eagerly. She wished that she could have a piece of prey, or at least just a bite, but she didn't dare take one from the pile. Mistyhollow knew that Hawk would be furious if she ate a piece of his prey without permission, but she knew better than to openly ask for food. The harsh rogue rarely let her eat, feeding her just enough to keep her alive. Mistyhollow's bones showed through her wiry blue-gray pelt, and her muscles were weak from old age and hunger. Her eyes were scarred and blind, and one of her ears had a deep nick in it.

She padded quietly over towards the forest at the edge of the clearing, hoping to slip away unnoticed so she could hopefully get food for herself. She needed to go for a walk, get some fresh air. She needed to do anything to get away from Hawk. The cruel tom was a constant reminder of the horrific events that had taken place when he and his band of rogues had attacked SpiritClan- killing Mistyhollow's mother, Silverleaf, as well as many others.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hawk snarled, pulling Mistyhollow away from her thoughts. She flinched almost unnoticeably, turning back to the tom.

"What do you need, master?" she asked dryly. If Hawk noticed the sarcasm in her voice he didn't say anything.

She heard his claws scrape against the ground and felt small pieces of soft bedding hit her paws as Hawk kicked them at her. "Get rid of this and get me fresh moss," he spat. "Now."

_I just gathered that this morning,_ Mistyhollow thought irately, but she padded forward and gathered all the moss from his nest into a bundle, carrying it out of the clearing that served as Hawk's den.

Once out of Hawk's sight, Mistyhollow spat the moss out on the ground. She trudged deeper into the forest. She could still hear him muttering to himself, his claws scraping across the rocky ground.

She allowed her mind to wander as she collected fresher bedding for Hawk, following the scent of moss and pulling it off of rotting logs and damp patches of ground. An image of Silverleaf was the first thing that Mistyhollow thought of, and she flexed her claws involuntarily as the memory of her mother's death filled her mind, as clearly as if it had been yesterday even though in reality Silverleaf had died seasons ago. Mistyhollow had only been a kit, nearing apprentice age, when Silverleaf had boldly challenged Hawk, calling him a weak, pathetic coward in front of all of SpiritClan. Hawk had merely flicked his tail and one of his rogues lunged at Silverleaf, his claws outstretched... Hawk had kicked her motionless body aside, his eyes narrowed as he scanned the crowd of SpiritClan cats as if daring one of them to step forward, to challenge him again.

With a start, Mistyhollow realized her paws were wet. She padded backwards, shaking them a little, realizing that in her distraction she had completely torn apart the rotten log that the moss was growing on and had been standing in the stagnant puddle that had been underneath it. She growled under her breath as she pulled the moss together into a pile, wiping her mucky paws on the soft forest floor.

Trying to stay focused, Mistyhollow silently padded a little deeper into the forest. It took her a while, but she managed to catch one measly shrew and a plump mouse. Hunting was much harder without her vision to guide her, but Mistyhollow had mostly gotten used to it. She had been blind for many moons. She growled to herself as she gulped down the prey, knowing how it had been Hawk's fault she was blind in the first place. He had been in a very bad mood one day, and she had just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. She had just asked if she could have a piece of prey to eat and Hawk had snapped at her, lashing out furiously. His talon-like claws raked her face, scratching her eyes, and she had run away, deep into the forest. Her eyes had been damaged beyond repair, and although she had treated the wound with herbs managed to keep it from getting infected, she knew she would never see again.

It had been days before Mistyhollow dared to go back to the small clearing. She had found her way back from memory and scent alone, and she slunk into Hawk's clearing. He had been there, lying on the ground.

"You look terrible," was all he had said once she got back. No demanding to know where she had been, no snarling at her for being gone for days, not even acknowledgment that he was the one who had injured her. Just a snarky, rude comment on her appearance, and then life went on as if nothing had happened.

Pulling her mind away from her thoughts, she located and picked up the moss that she had collected, carrying it back to Hawk's clearing. The battle-scarred tom was still lying on the ground, and Mistyhollow could feel his icy gaze on her as she dropped the fresh moss, spreading it around his nest. She backed away as soon as she had finished, growling softly under her breath but not loud enough for Hawk to hear. As she had expected, he offered no thanks for her service but just settled down onto the moss, a low growl in his throat. Mistyhollow could tell he was in a particularly bad mood today, but she couldn't figure out why. She turned around to go sit in her own corner, a tiny patch of the clearing that she had been permitted to sleep in.

A sudden furious yowl sounded from Hawk, making Mistyhollow jump. She turned around towards him, although it was pointless because she couldn't see.

"A thorn," Hawk growled lowly, his voice seething with anger. "Not only is this moss crumbly and pathetic, but it's got a /thorn. I can't even lie down on this."

Mistyhollow couldn't believe any one cat could be so angry all the time. Hawk had all he could ever want and still he complained. "Spoiled kit," she muttered under her breath. It must have been louder than she had expected, because Hawk's growling stopped suddenly. When he spoke again his voice was like the calm before a storm.

"_What_ did you just say?" he asked lowly. Before Mistyhollow could offer any apology Hawk gave a furious war cry. Mistyhollow was knocked off her paws suddenly, and before she could react he was above her, pinning her to the ground.

She heard his intake of breath and just barely squirmed out of the way before he struck down, his jaws snapping shut on nothing but air. Sudden fear gripped her. _He's trying to kill me._

Then the terror disappeared, replaced by complete, absolute fury. _All those moons of serving him and he's trying to kill me?!_ She lunged upward with strength she didn't know she had, her jaws reaching for his neck. Hawk pulled back a little, surprised, and she took advantage of it by pushing him upwards, kicking the tom away from her. With a battle cry of her own, the normally calm and quiet Mistyhollow lunged forward, claws outstretched.

Hawk dodged away from her. She heard his soft hiss of anger and ducked, expecting his attack even before it came. She felt the small gust of wind tickling her ear fur as his paw swiped just over her head, missing her by only the tiniest bit. Mistyhollow snarled, filled with anger. Claws extended and reaching for his throat, Mistyhollow sprang.

Hawk usually was a formidable fighter, but for moons he had done nothing but sit in that clearing, lying on fresh moss and eating prey. He was out of practice. With a sudden burst of strength Mistyhollow hit him directly and in a second he was the one lying on the ground, trapped beneath her claws and squirming. She could smell his fear and snarled furiously. All she had to do was strike downwards. Hawk was entirely at her mercy. He had killed her mother along with countless other cats, and now he was going to die. The servant was turning against the master. The one who had caused her mother's death was going to die at Mistyhollow's claws.

But she hesitated. At any moment she could have struck, ending his life, but she didn't. If Mistyhollow killed him right now she would be no better than him, just a mindless killer who gloried in other cats' demises. _He caused the death of my mother!_ one part of her screamed. But something in her protested. And that _something_ won out.

She stepped away from Hawk. "Leave," Mistyhollow snarled. She flexed her claws threateningly, a clear sign to Hawk that if he came back again she wouldn't hesitate to kill him. She heard hurried pawsteps against the forest floor and knew the tom had run.

Suddenly overwhelmed by what had just happened, Mistyhollow sat down. _Oh, StarClan._ Full realization suddenly hit her. _I'm free. I can leave. I can do whatever I want._ She licked a small scratch on her foreleg that Hawk had given her, but the stinging of the wound was not enough to dampen her spirit. Mistyhollow padded out of the clearing that had been her forced home for moons without even a glance backwards. She never wanted to go near that place again. _I'm free._

Joy bubbled up inside her as she bounded through the forest, jubilation making her feel young again.

Mistyhollow was a servant no longer.


	15. Possibilities

I walk the shadowy forest, forever alone. Sometimes I can hear the sounds of small animals scuffling in the leaves somewhere but the air smells only of rot and mold and dead things. I am always hungry, as there is no prey here, but I cannot starve. I have not always been in this dreadful place, however.

Once, many moons ago, I was a Clan cat, always surrounded by loyal warriors that would protect each other to the death. My Clan's name was BrookClan. The forest that we lived in was bright, with many streams of cool, crystal-clear water lacing through it. A layer of golden-brown leaves covered the forest floor and songbirds fluttered from tree to tree. It was a wonderful place.

And my name? At the time my story begins, my name was Deathpaw. An unusual name, yes, but I am an unusual cat. My mother died on the day of my birth, as did my three unnamed siblings. Her death was mourned greatly by the Clan- from what I'd heard of her in stories, she was a noble and respectable warrior. She had never mentioned my father's name, so most of the Clan assumed it was a tom somewhere in the Clan. I always wanted to believe that it was a passing loner or a fearless rogue. That always sounded more interesting to me.

My mentor... my mentor's name was Flowereyes. She was the most wonderful cat in the world. It has been a very long time since I last saw her, yet I can remember her perfectly. She had a pretty brown tabby pelt with soft white patches. Her sky-blue eyes always sparkled with the light of adventure. I looked up to her as if she had been sent from StarClan itself. I would follow her every command, trying my hardest to please her because nothing made me happier than when she was happy.

Sometimes I would ask, "Do you think I could become leader one day?" From the time I had been a small kit I had wanted to become leader of BrookClan- well, what kit didn't?

And she would reply, "Anything is possible if you set your mind to it." Her voice was sweet in my ears, encouraging and making me full of hope.

The day Flowereyes died was the worst day of my life.

It started out as a simple border patrol. Flowereyes and I were heading along the border we shared with our only neighboring Clan, DarkClan. Snowbranch and Redstreak, the other two cats on our patrol, were up ahead of us by a few cat-lengths. Redstreak stiffened suddenly, and I could tell he was about to say something when three DarkClan warriors slunk out of the trees, staring across at us.

"What do you want?" Redstreak growled irritably. "This is our territory."

"We're still on our side of the border, BrookClan scum," a dark brown tom spat back.

Redstreak's claws sank into the soft ground, but he didn't say anything else. I saw Snowbranch glare at the DarkClan cats but she didn't say a word, either. They simply continued forward. Flowereyes and I followed.

"What's the matter, kitties?" the same DarkClan tom jeered. "Too scared to stay and chat?"

Redstreak ignored the enemy warriors. Flowereyes's normally wide blue eyes were narrowed in anger, but she held herself back. Our little patrol kept walking, and everything would have been fine, but that dark brown tom crossed the line. Literally, actually. He leapt over onto our side of the border, walking on _our_ territory. I could see the tom's fellow warriors calling him back, realizing what a mousebrain he was being. Maybe the tom was just in a bad mood that day, or perhaps he was always bad-tempered and annoying. I didn't know and I didn't care. _A DarkClan cat on BrookClan soil?_ I was furious.

Unable to hold himself back a moment longer, Redstreak lunged at the tom. The DarkClan tom dodged Redstreak's attack and replied with his own swipe, claws outstretched. I saw the other DarkClan warriors surge over the border to help their Clanmate. Snowbranch, Flowereyes, and I leapt into the battle, defending Redstreak. I landed a few blows on the enemy warriors, but Redstreak and the DarkClan tom were doing most of the fighting.

Then there was a loud screech, full of terror and pain. The cats froze, pulling away from each other and grouping back with their Clanmates. I looked at the blood-spattered ground and what I saw nearly made my heart stop.

Flowereyes lay lifeless on the forest floor.

A solemn air hung around us as we carried her back to camp. I stared at the ground, my tail dragging in the leaves. I stood vigil for Flowereyes all night, my mind blank. Over the next moon I was so full of grief that I couldn't focus on anything. Then grief turned to anger and anger turned to fury. It was DarkClan's fault that Flowereyes was dead. That fox-hearted tom had caused her death.

I wanted revenge.

Now, more than ever, I knew I had to become leader. I could lead BrookClan against DarkClan in a battle like no other, a war to end all wars. BrookClan outnumbered DarkClan, and our warriors were stronger, faster, better. We could launch a full-scale attack on those mangy DarkClan cats and drive them away. Then BrookClan could be masters of the forest... and who better to lead them to victory than I?

And so I trained harder than ever. After Flowereyes died, Sweetstar appointed Spottedtail as my new mentor. Spottedtail was the deputy, so it was an honor for anyone to be his apprentice, but in my mind, compared to Flowereyes, Spottedtail was nobody. But still I trained, putting all of my effort into becoming the best that I could be. There were no battles going on that I could take part in, but when we trained for battle I was ferocious. I hunted as often as I could, bringing back as much prey as possible. Usually by the end of the day I was exhausted, utterly worn out, but I knew it was worth it.

Three moons after Flowereyes died, I became a warrior. _Deathstrike._

If possible, I worked even harder in hopes that I would be considered an excellent candidate for when a new deputy needed to be picked. When Spottedtail retired, perhaps, or maybe when Sweetstar died and Spottedtail became leader. I pushed myself to the limit, fiercely determined to rise through the ranks of BrookClan.

Moons passed. I gained my own apprentice, an intelligent little she-cat named Poppypaw. I trained her to be the best she could be, but without pushing her too hard. I wanted to be to her what Flowereyes was to me.

Even more time passed. Poppypaw was made a warrior. I watched proudly as the Clan called out her warrior name, adding my voice to the rest- _Poppyfern! Poppyfern!_

Seasons went by, one after the other. The Clan blossomed. There was enough prey to go around, even in leafbare. The pain of Flowereyes's death had faded, but my determination had not. If anything, it became stronger. Sweetstar grew older, and I could tell she would join StarClan soon. I waited anxiously for my time to prove myself. When I was younger I had thought that becoming the leader was only a possibility, but now I knew that I must. I was well-liked among my Clan, I knew that. My determination and loyalty marked me as an excellent warrior.

Then Sweetstar grew ill, and the whole Clan knew she was on her last life. Although some part of me was sad to see the old leader head to StarClan, a greater part of me was anxious to become deputy. I was fairly certain that I would be picked, although I had seen Spottedtail spending a lot more time with Snowbranch. Those two seemed to always be together. I started to fear that once he became leader, Spottedtail would pick her over me. I had been so determined to become leader that the thought of having to wait longer- or perhaps not even becoming leader at all- made me upset. I had worked so hard for it.

The next part of my story is a part that I would have liked to forget. If I had a chance to go back, to change what had happened, I would do it in a heartbeat. I had been young and utterly foolish, so overcome with determination to get back at DarkClan for what they had done.

It had happened in the forest, a little ways outside of camp. I had been hunting. I had only been able to find two small mice and a squirrel, which I had buried a little ways away. It was a hot greenleaf day, and most of the prey seemed to be in hiding.

Then I heard the soft rustle of leaves, and I scented the air. There was no smell of prey, though. Instead I scented cat. Spottedtail, to be exact. I padded a little ways deeper into the woods until I spotted him, hunting alone. He didn't seem to be having much luck either.

I started to turn around, to hunt somewhere else, but something made me stop. Spottedtail was alone. I was only a few fox-lengths from him. He hadn't noticed me.

And he was the only thing standing between me and becoming the leader.

I knew that Sweetstar would pick me as deputy if she had to choose. But Spottedtail was the deputy, and so when Sweetstar died he would become leader. There was always the possibility that Spottedtail would pick me as deputy, but something inside me knew he'd choose Snowbranch. Spottedtail was an excellent warrior, loyal and brave, but he lacked the determination to battle against DarkClan. I knew he would lead BrookClan as Sweetstar had before him, trying to restore peace. I wanted peace, too, but I knew that there could only be true peace in the forest if DarkClan was gone. Driven away or destroyed, I didn't care which, but I knew they had to go. And Spottedtail wouldn't be the one to lead us into that great battle.

It would have to be me.

I ambushed the deputy in the forest that day. Taken by surprise, Spottedtail wasn't ready for my attack, and so I gained an advantage early on. He was still a formidable fighter, however, one of the best in the Clan, and he defended himself with equal skill. Then I kicked Spottedtail away from me with my powerful hind legs. His head hit a rock and he slid to the ground, his body limp.

Immediately I felt a huge rush of guilt. _Oh, StarClan. What have I done?_ To this day, I still wish desperately that I could have gone back, that I could have stopped myself. But what's done was done, and I couldn't change the past, however much I wanted to.

I ran back to the camp, proclaiming that Spottedtail had died. There were gasps of shock and I heard several cats cry out. Then Sweetstar was there, demanding to know what had happened. I knew there was no way I could tell the truth, and although I felt horrible about it, I had to make up something to tell them.

"There was a fox," I had said. "It leapt at him out of nowhere. I wasn't fast enough to help him. He..." Here my voice had choked up, unable to say another word. I swallowed my guilt and managed to finish. "It took his body. I couldn't save him." There were moans of grief as I finished. Several cats were staring at the ground. "I'm sorry," I whispered. To any of the others it would sound like I was just full of misery, perhaps lamenting the fact that I couldn't save him in time. But in my mind, I was apologizing for what I had done. Apologizing to BrookClan, to StarClan... _to Flowereyes..._

We mourned Spottedtail until it was nearly sunset. We were just preparing to hold vigil for the fallen deputy when there was a noise outside the camp. The warriors tensed, ready to battle, perhaps thinking it was the fox that had killed Spottedtail.

But instead of a fox or some other animal, in limped Spottedtail- bruised, slightly injured, but very much alive.

And boy, did he have a story to tell.

Immediately the BrookClan cats went from looking at the ground with grief to staring at me in fury, their glare like sharp claws. I had tried to protest, insisted _no, I didn't do that_, but even to me my protests sounded weak.

"Look," Spottedtail had pointed out to them, "my fur is caught in his claws." I cursed myself for forgetting something as simple as fur, but I knew I was getting what I deserved.

"I..." I had started to say, but I trailed off. What could I have possibly said to them? Then I seemed to find my voice again. "If I were leader, I could make BrookClan strong."

Spottedtail hissed under his breath. "Don't listen to this lunatic! He tried to _kill_ me!"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry." I had wanted to say more, but my words were starting to get drowned out by the growls and hisses of the BrookClan warriors. "If I were the leader of BrookClan, I could lead us to victory! We could attack DarkClan, driving them out!" My voice had grown louder as I got into my speech. "There would be peace in the forest, and BrookClan would be leader of it all- just think of the possibilities!"

"No." Sweetstar's voice was heard suddenly, firm and strong. She seemed angry, but on top of that was disappointment. "Deathstrike..." she had said, eying me in disgust. This had happened many moons ago, but I still remembered her words as perfectly as if it had been today. The tone in her voice made my heart shatter. "I had expected better of you."

"I- I'm sorry," I whispered, but nobody heard. "I..." I had no words for them. I wanted to run, to go hide in a hole somewhere and never come back out. But I stayed, waiting to face the punishment that I deserved.

The crowd of cats muttered angrily, obviously furious about my betrayal. _Betrayal_. The word left a sour taste on my tongue.

"Deathstrike." I flinched as Sweetstar called my name. I looked up at her, crouching low to the ground in a sign of defeat. Her next words were like razor-sharp claws in my heart. "You will be exiled from BrookClan for attempting to murder our deputy."

If possible, I sank even lower to the ground. _Exile._ The word echoed around my head, repeating itself over and over. _Exile. Exile. _

"Exiled?" Snowbranch screeched, looking at Sweetstar. "That's all he gets? He tried to kill Spottedtail! That fox-heart deserves to die!"

I had a sudden flashback to when Flowereyes had died. What Snowbranch had said was almost exactly what I was thinking about the DarkClan tom after my mentor was killed. _He caused her death. He deserves to die._

"Snowbranch, calm down," Spottedtail murmured. He glared at me, and when he spoke his voice had the same disgust that Sweetstar's did. "I think exile is perfect for him."

"No!" Snowbranch's voice, filled with anger and beneath that, worry for Spottedtail, was the last thing I heard before she lunged at me and my world exploded into darkness.

Then I woke up after an unknown amount of time, in the forest I walk now. This is where I've been for moons and moons, season upon season. I'm not sure how much time has passed exactly- there is no moon in the sky to light my way and the weather around me never changes. It is always cold, dark, and bleak. I'll probably be here for the rest of all eternity, and it's all because of a dumb mistake I made. A decision made without thinking, filled with determination to become leader... I was paying the price, for sure. Yet I knew I deserved it completely. I did not blame Snowbranch for what she had done.

And that's how I came to be here, in the Dark Forest. Forever alone, forever wandering, forever with nothing to do but think.

I sigh, sitting down on the moist ground. Thinking about my past was painful. I hear a rustling in the leaves behind me, but I ignore it. Too many times I had rushed towards the sound, hoping to find another cat or maybe some prey, and finding nothing. But this time, instead of the noise fading away after a moment, it gets louder. I turn my head, flicking my ears upward. As I had expected, there is nothing there... _wait... what is that?_ I narrow my eyes, staring into the trees. I had to have imagined it... _right?_ No, there it was again. The faint outline of a cat, barely visible in the darkness. I stand up. _How is that possible...?_

Then the cat steps forward and with a start of surprise I realize I recognize it. That pale ginger pelt with those dark green eyes...

"Poppyfern?" I whisper. My voice is hoarse from moons of not being used. "But... how..."

"Just come with me," she meows. She sounds calm, but I can see in her eyes that she is overjoyed to see me. I'm not sure what I feel. It was amazing to see her again- _oh, how much she'd grown!_- but at the same time... _if she's here, in the Dark Forest, then she must be..._

I follow her numbly, my mind unable to make sense of anything. Once or twice I start to ask her something, but she just shushes me and continues on. I don't know how long we walk through the shadowy forest, but eventually the trees begin to thin. I narrow my eyes in confusion- I have wandered the forest for the longest time and I'd never been to this part. Up ahead, I can see- _is that...?_- yes- it was _light_. There was light up ahead through the trees. Light. In the Dark Forest. Now I am even more confused.

Still Poppyfern leads me onward. We step through the trees and in a moment I am standing in a bright forest. Sunlight warms my black fur, a feeling of warmth spreading through me that I haven't felt in moons and moons. Finally Poppyfern stops, turning to look at me. I see a few other cats heading towards us, and I have to squint in the bright sunlight for a few moments before I recognize them.

On the right is Sweetstar. Her golden-brown pelt is thick and sleek, as it had been in her youth, and her green eyes sparkle. On the left are Snowbranch and Spottedtail. They too are restored to youth, their muscles lean and their fur neatly groomed. Spottedtail seems happy, as if glad to see me, and Snowbranch looks a little bit guilty.

And between them stands... _Oh, StarClan..._

"Hello, Deathstrike," Flowereyes meows, her sky-blue eyes shining like they used to always do.

For a few moments I am literally unable to breathe. I can only stare in shock at my former mentor. "F-flowereyes?" I manage to say. My voice comes out at nothing more than a whisper, but they can hear me. Flowereyes purrs. "I missed you," I choke out. My eyes scan the other cats standing there. "All of you." I look around at my surroundings again. "Wh-where am I?"

"You're in StarClan." This time it is Sweetstar who speaks.

"Why?"

Snowbranch sighs. "We... we were wrong about you, Deathstrike," she meows. "You were a brave and loyal warrior. We know you tried to kill Spottedtail, but that was a long time ago. You just acted without thinking for a moment, and we all know you paid the price for that. But you don't deserve eternity in the Dark Forest."

"You mean...?" I barely dared to speak.

"Come to StarClan, with us," Flowereyes meowed. "Into StarClan, for real. It's where you really deserve to be."

It takes a few seconds for the truth to sink in. _I get to be in StarClan?_ "Thank you," I manage to say. "I- _thank you_."

"It's what you deserve," Sweetstar says simply.

And at that, we all continue into StarClan, where the sun is always shining, prey is always plentiful, and no cats ever need anything. We could run in the sunshine, feeling the grass under our paws. Gone forever was the cold wetness of the Dark Forest, the smell of rot and the feeling of constant loneliness. I would run forever with my friends, my family, and my former mentor. We could hunt and run and relax in the sun forever. I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.

The possibilities were endless.


	16. Weightless

The gray and white tom paced outside the nursery. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. He could hear his mate's anguished gasps coming from inside. "Is everything going all right, Coldbreeze?" he asked anxiously.

"She's doing fine, Creekleap," the voice of the StormClan medicine cat calls back a second later. "It's taking a bit longer than usual, but she'll be fine!"

To Creekleap, it felt like hours since his mate, Rabbitfur, had begun to give birth. It was earlier than they had expected, and Creekleap was filled with anxiety from ears to tail tip.

Finally, her gasps died down and were replaced with calmer, more even breathing. Creekleap listened intently, but he couldn't hear the mewling of newborn kits, the sound of tiny paws scrabbling to get to their mother. Unable to wait another moment, Creekleap burst into the nursery.

The first thing he saw when he entered the small space was Rabbitfur. Her gray and white pelt was slightly matted with sweat, but she seemed okay. Her blue eyes were wide, though, and he could clearly see concern in them. Creekleap followed her gaze to Coldbreeze, who was crouched near the ground a little ways away.

And between his paws was a little white ball of fuzz, the tiniest kit Creekleap had ever seen. There was only one.

Creekleap let out a gasp. "Is it... is it okay?"

"She's alive," Coldbreeze replied brusquely, roughly licking the kit's fur backwards. That was when Creekleap realized his daughter wasn't breathing. His heart seemed to stop. Seconds ticked past, one after the other, in agonizing slowness. Then, what felt like an eternity later, the tiny kit let out a gasp and mewled pitifully. Creekleap let out a sigh of relief, only now realizing that he had been holding his breath.

"Don't get too hopeful," Coldbreeze warned. "Kits born too early, like she was, are usually weaker than most. It's very important for her to stay warm and have some of Rabbitfur's milk."

Creekleap swallowed, feeling hopeless as he looked down at his tiny, weak kit, the only one in the litter. Coldbreeze gently picked her up by the scruff and carried her over to Rabbitfur, setting the kit on the ground. The little white she-kit squirmed weakly, quickly finding Rabbitfur and latching onto her belly. Even Creekleap could see that she wasn't as strong as she should have been.

"Do... do you think she'll die?" Rabbitfur's voice was almost hoarse with worry.

"It's up to StarClan now," Coldbreeze meowed. "There's nothing more we can do but wait. I've seen tiny kits like this, those born too early, survive and grow up to be strong warriors."

Rabbitfur didn't reply. She bent down her head to gently lick her daughter between the ears. The tiny kit stayed silent, without even a whimper.

"If she stops breathing again or seems to be getting weaker, call me immediately," Coldbreeze instructed them. Then he left the nursery and headed over to the medicine den. He brought back a few borage leaves, which Rabbitfur chewed and ate. Then Coldbreeze exited again, leaving Rabbitfur and Creekleap alone with their only kit.

Rabbitfur sighed. "I'm so worried..." she murmured.

"She'll be okay," Creekleap meowed, trying to convince himself as much as he was her. "She has to be."

"Let's just hope," sighed Rabbitfur. She gently nudged the weakly suckling kit again with her nose.

"Hopekit," Creekleap murmured after a short pause.

Rabbitfur looked up at him and then back down at the kit. "Hopekit," she repeated. "That's a wonderful name."

Hopekit squirmed ever so slightly as she shifted on the ground, moving closer to her mother. _Hopekit..._ Her name echoed in Creekleap's mind. His only daughter. She was so weak, and so little... If she caught any sort of sickness, even the tiniest cold, Creekleap doubted she would survive. He vowed in that moment to keep Hopekit safe, no matter what the cost.

She had to live. She just had to.

Creekleap stayed in the nursery for a long while, just sitting there while Rabbitfur nursed Hopekit. Hours went by in silence, both cats simply watching the tiny she-kit. Once, Rabbitfur's stomach growled loudly.

"I'll go get you some prey," Creekleap meowed, getting to his feet.

"No." Rabbitfur shifted in her nest, careful not to hurt Hopekit. "I'll grab something myself. I need to stretch my legs."

Creekleap watched anxiously as Rabbitfur began to get to her paws. He could see the exhaustion in her eyes, but she stood up fine on slightly shaky legs. Creekleap gently picked up Hopekit by her scruff. His heart melted at how light she was. He could hardly feel her. It was as if she was weightless.

_Oh, StarClan, please let her live!_

Rabbitfur returned quickly with a small squirrel. It was almost bigger than Hopekit. The gray and white she-cat lay down again, and Creekleap set his daughter down next to her mother. Rabbitfur picked at the prey, eating it piece by piece, while Hopekit continued to suckle.

It seemed like only minutes later that the sun had set and night had fallen. Creekleap bid a good night to Rabbitfur, nuzzling her head, before looking down at Hopekit. He hesitated for a second before licking his daughter on the top of her head.

"Be well, my sweet kit," he murmured.

When Creekleap woke up again the next morning, he lay drowsily in his nest for a few moments before he remembered. _Rabbitfur- Hopekit!_ He rushed to the nursery, terrified that he would arrive and and Rabbitfur would tell him miserably that Hopekit hadn't survived the night.

But when he entered the nursery, he was met with the sight of Rabbitfur lying on the ground in almost the exact same position. Hopekit was curled at her stomach, fast asleep. Her snowy white fur had fluffed out a little more, and she looked adorable.

"She's growing stronger," Rabbitfur meowed, and Creekleap could hear the relief in her voice. "She's still weak, but I think she'll make it. I know she'll make it. Our daughter doesn't give up."

Creekleap wanted to spend the rest of the day in the nursery with his mate and kit, but he was soon called out by the deputy to go on a border patrol. Reluctantly he padded out of camp, thinking about Rabbitfur and Hopekit. He had complete faith that they would both be okay, and so he focused more on patrolling.

As the days went by, Hopekit grew bigger and stronger. She started responding to Creekleap and Rabbitfur, recognizing their voices and sometimes crawling towards them. She wasn't left unsupervised for even a moment. Soon her eyes opened, revealing brilliant blue irises that seemed to shine with hope. Around a moon passed, and Hopekit was out in the camp, exploring. She still grew every day, and within two moons she was over half of Rabbitfur's size- nearly ten times as big as she had been at birth. There was no longer any doubt that the inquisitive young kit would survive.

Other kits were born in the nursery, new litters of newborn kits. Hopekit was always gentle around them, careful not to step on their tails or trip over them. Creekleap could already tell she'd be a wonderful mother in the future.

One day Creekleap found himself sitting outside the nursery, next to Rabbitfur, watching as Hopekit curiously batted around a clump of moss out in the middle of the camp. Her bright eyes, which had slowly turned emerald-green since her birth, were wide as she looked down at the moss-ball. Creekleap purred softly as she wiggled her haunches and then pounced on it.

"She'll be a wonderful warrior," Rabbitfur meowed.

"I know," Creekleap replied.

And at that moment, it seemed everything was perfect.

**********************************

_Ten moons later..._

"Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Hopepaw responded, holding her head high. Her green eyes were sparkling with excitement.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. From this moment onward, you shall be known as Hopesky. StarClan honors your loyalty and intelligence, and we welcome you as a full member of StormClan."

"Hopesky! Hopesky!" Creekleap's voice was the loudest of the StormClan cats' as he chanted his daughter's name. Rabbitfur matched his enthusiasm, also calling out.

The newly-named warrior stood tall, beaming as her Clanmates cheered her on. Her snowy pelt was sleek and well-groomed her eyes were bright.

Soon the cheers died down and the leader of StormClan called the meeting to an end. The cats dispersed, heading off to patrols or hunting or back into the dens to sleep. Hopesky made her way over to her parents immedately, nuzzling first her mother, then to her father.

Creekleap still clearly remembered the day she had been born. He remembered the feeling of panic as he thought she might not live, the feeling of hopelessness as he had picked her up and she felt practically weightless. It was hard to imagine that the scrawny, weak kit that had been born that day was the same cat who stood before him now.

"I love you, Hopesky," Creekleap whispered as she rubbed her head against his. He heard his daughter purr softly, and then he heard her response, soft and gentle. The words seemed as sweet as honey.

"Love you too, dad."


	17. Just Say It

There was a flash of dark tabby fur in the corner of my vision. I heard the sound of pawsteps in the dry leaves and a familiar smell hit my nose. I sighed. _Penny._

Seconds after the thought formed in my mind, I saw the silhouette of the she-cat step out from behind a tree. Her ocean-blue eyes were focused straight ahead of her, probably searching for prey. She hadn't seen me... yet. I tried to decide if I should hide before she saw me or if I should go up and talk to her. I ended up crouching down behind a bush, in a perfect position so that I could see her but she couldn't see me. Just looking at Penny put me in a good mood, but talking to her was almost painful. I wanted to tell her everything, my thoughts, my feelings, but I just _couldn't_.

How do you tell someone you're madly in love with her when you don't even know if she remotely likes you?

I sighed again, knowing that she would probably never be mine. I could barely muster up the courage to _speak_ to her. How was I supposed to tell her how I feel? I had no idea what she thought of me. She didn't seem to hate me, I thought, but she didn't seem overly friendly to me either. Sometimes I would try to find her to talk to her and it seemed like she was avoiding me. She wouldn't look me in the eye, and our conversations were short and awkward.

I didn't mean to fall in love with her. My life would be so much easier if I just thought of her as a friend. But from the first time I met her, many moons ago in this same forest, I had been so deeply in love that she was all I could think of.

And then there was Smyke. He lived in the forest around here, also. He was muscular, strong, fearless, and confident, with a well-groomed pelt and a brilliant mind.

In other words, he was everything that I was not.

I glanced down at my scruffy black-and-white pelt self-consciously. Whenever I tried to groom my fur neatly it just sprang back up again, a permanently messy coat of fur. I was scrawny and short, with skinny legs and big paws that I was always tripping over. I wasn't particularly handsome or intelligent, either. I had seen Smyke and Penny together a few times- he seemed to like her and she wasn't too unfriendly to him either. I could think of no reason that she would ever pick me over him. He was perfect in every way, and I was just a pathetic scrawny tom desperately in love with the most amazing she-cat in the whole forest.

Lost in thought, I shifted absentmindedly on the forest floor. One of my paws slipped on a dead leaf and I fell over, tumbling clumsily out from behind my sheltered bush. I cursed inwardly, hoping that Penny hadn't seen me, but with the racket I made she would have had to have been deaf not to notice.

"Wha- oh- Domino?" _Yep, she noticed._

I got to my paws, pelt burning with embarrassment. I stared at the ground, unable to look her directly in the eyes. "H-hi, Penny," I managed to say. There was a short pause.

"What- what were you doing?" she asked.

"Oh, I- I was hunting. The mouse I was chasing ran under the bush over there, and when I was trying to reach in to get it I- er- slipped on a dead leaf." I was a bad liar and I knew it. I glanced at Penny but her expression was impossible to read. "So, uhh- I gotta go, bye!" Unable to spend another moment in her presence, I turned tail and ran.

I didn't stop until I was nearly back at my own den. I darted into a gap in the roots of a tree and curled up in the hollow center. It served as a pretty good den, as I could see out through a hole in the bark but nobody could see me. Plus the entrance was hidden enough so that if you weren't specifically looking for it, you probably wouldn't even notice it. Most cats were too big to fit through it, anyway.

I tried to take my mind off of Penny, but she was the only thing I could think of. I felt bad for running away from Penny, but at the time it was the only thing I could think of. _Great. Now she's going to think I hate her._

I sighed, settling down more onto the floor of my tree. _What am I going to do?_ I wanted desperately to tell her the truth, but I wasn't brave enough to do it. _Just say it!_ my mind screamed, but I knew I couldn't. Telling her the truth was out of the question.

I could leave, get out of this part of the forest and find a new home, but what good would that do? I'd still think about her every day. I didn't think I could live without ever seeing her again. I could just keep avoiding her, like I had been doing. But that obviously wasn't working.

Deciding to think about it some more the next day, I curled up and tried to fall asleep. It was only a little bit before sunset, but within moments I was fast asleep.

Dreams of Penny danced through my head, one after the other. I imagined telling Penny that I loved her and having her laugh at me, saying that I was worthless and pathetic and that no she-cat would ever, _ever_ like me because I just wasn't good enough. Then the dream shifted into Smyke, who stood over me laughing, his claws extended and teeth bared. I woke up with a gasp, taking a few seconds to remember where I was.

I glanced outside. It was just getting light out, probably a little bit before dawn. Checking to make sure nobody was around, I squeezed out from my tree. I stretched, a yawn escaping my jaws.

I heard a noise from somewhere a little ways' away and I froze, my head turning towards the source and my ears pricking upwards. A few more seconds went by in silence and then I heard it again, the crunching of leaves, too loud to be prey but not loud enough to be a fox or a badger. The wind shifted, bringing the scent to my nose. My eyes widened. _You've got to be kidding me._ Immediately I turned to rush back into my den, but I was a second too late.

"Hey, Penny," I meowed lamely. I could feel her gaze on me. "I- er- didn't expect to see you around here. I figured you'd be out with Smyke somewhere."

"Smyke?" Her voice sounded genuinely confused. "Why?"

"Don't- ah- don't you two like each other?" I said awkwardly.

"Wha- me and Smyke?" Penny sounded surprised. "We're friends, nothing more."

I snuck a glance at her and our eyes met. She quickly looked at the ground. An impulsive feeling came over me suddenly. _This is it. I'm going to tell her._ It had to be done sooner or later. And if she laughed and made fun of me? I could run. Leave. Live somewhere else, like I had thought about doing. There was nothing holding me here.

"Uh- listen, Penny..." _I can't believe I'm doing this..._ "I've been trying to tell you this for a while- a long while- but I, um- I just didn't know how to, ah-" I broke off, taking a second to get my thoughts organized. "I- I like you, Penny. I like you a lot, actually." I winced- the words sounded pathetic, even to me. "I just... I don't know..." I couldn't think of anything else to say. I couldn't bring myself to look at her face. There was a long pause, and then Penny spoke.

"You- you like... me?"

I crouched low, hanging my head. "I'm sorry- forget it-" Everything felt like it was falling apart. It was like my nightmares were coming true. Any second Penny would laugh at me, jeering and hissing. "Just forget it- it was dumb- I'm sorry- I should go-" My pelt burned with embarrassment like I'd never felt before. _That's it, I'm leaving,_ I decided. I'd run, find a new home- who knew, maybe I'd even find a mate. A real mate, who I could tell everything to. There would be no more awkward conversations, no more embarrassment, and I could just forget about Penny. A part of me knew I could never forget Penny, but I could try.

But then Penny spoke again. "No- I just- I didn't think that you would like... _me_..."

Now it was my turn to be confused. "Wh- why wouldn't I like you? Why wouldn't _anyone_ like you?"

"I just- you're _you_ and I'm _me_..."

"I know- that's why I was terrified to talk to you before-"

"You were afraid to talk to me?" Penny sounded bewildered but I could detect happiness underneath in her tone. My brain seemed to have stopped working and I couldn't make sense of anything.

"It's just-" Penny continued, "I was afraid to talk to _you_-"

"Me? Why?" _That's it,_ I decided. _I'm confused._ But she wasn't laughing and jeering, so that had to be good.

"I- I've liked you for a while, Domino," Penny confessed. She slowly raised her gaze to meet mine, and for a second it seemed like we had swapped places. Penny was supposed to be the confident one who everyone liked and I was supposed to be the nervous, stuttering one who would shy away from conversations and hide whenever she so much as looked at me. But it almost made sense. Thinking about it now, she had seemed to be avoiding me and not looking at me- just the same as I was of her.

"Wait- you like- me?" It was better than I had ever imagined, even in my dreams.

Penny nodded slowly. "I didn't want to tell you- you never seemed to like _me_, so I thought you might laugh at me-"

"B-but that's what I've been thinking for moons!" I gasped. "I've liked you since the day I first saw you, Penny! I just thought that- you and Smyke-"

"I've never liked Smyke- not like that," said Penny. "Yeah, he's strong and brave, and not bad looking, but he's always lacked the kindness that you've always had. You're always so polite and sweet and kind... and I'd never imagine that you'd like _me_..."

"But I do," I meowed softly. "I always have." There was a few seconds of silence, but it wasn't the usual awkward silence as each of us tried to figure out what to say. This time it was a silence as we each pondered the things we just learned. _Penny likes me... she really, actually likes me... just like I've liked her..._

Without thinking, I reached over and nuzzled her head with mine. And when I spoke, the words came freely, without even a hint of embarrassment or awkwardness.

"I love you, Penny."


End file.
